Multiple Personalities
by Bubblewing-luvs-anime
Summary: Sakura has been promised a special surprise when she turns 15. But when that day comes, she discovers the surprise is a fiancé—Syaoran! She's furious, and gets off to a bad start with him. But then she discovers his secret: he has multiple personalities!
1. Fiancé

**Multiple Personalities**

* * *

**Chapter One**

**Fiance**

* * *

**This is my newest creation!! It is part of a series of new fanfictions I'm making. I'll see which ones get the least reviews, and bump them off. But hopefully you'll like this one!! ^^ **

**I made it so that school here starts like it does in Canada and such, because it's easier for me to keep track of. :D It was really weird how I explained it before, so I changed it to regular. :) **

**Please review (and please, please try to actually review, not favourite or alert!! PLEASE!!), and check out my other fanfictions~~Enjoy~~**

***I rewrote some of the first chapters...the part about his personalities...YOU HAVE TO READ IT, IT'S IMPORTANT! XD **

*****So...I put the first chapter back together. XD It makes more sense that way. (It's hard being a retard!)**

**_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CCS CHARACTERS OR CCS. _**

* * *

"I'm so excited, Harumi-chan!" I squealed. "Tomorrow's my fifteenth birthday!"

"Don't forget that it's Toya-kun's birthday as well, Sakura-chan," Harumi giggled.

"I've waited my whole life for this day! Dad has told Toya and I about our big surprise when I turned fifteen and Toya turned twenty-one! And tomorrow is that big day!" I sighed, pondering all the possibilities. "Maybe it's going to be a trip around the world, or something magical, or something!"

Harumi laughed on the other line of the phone. "You have way too big of an imagination, Sakura-chan."

I grinned. "My Dad just better hope that this surprise lives up my expectations!"

"And then if it doesn't, you'll probably just blame it on him!"

"Of course!" I threw a dart to the board on the wall opposite to me; it landed inside the middle circle. "He's been telling me about how amazing it is and how much I'll love it since the day I was born, after all!"

"Oh, Sakura-chan, you are a strange one!" Harumi said. "But I have to go, so I'll see when school starts!"

"Okay! I'll see you then, Harumi-chan! Ja!" I pressed the end button and flung the chord-less onto my bed.

School starts a week from my birthday, and my brother's--yes, we have the same birthday--which is August 31st.

I flicked off the light and crawled under my covers.

* * *

My eyes whipped open and I threw off my sheets. I leapt out of bed and quickly brushed my teeth and threw on a red t-shirt and black shorts before racing down the stairs and slamming into Toya.

"Ow! Kaijuu, could you please save your rampages until after our surprise?" Toya groaned, resting his arm on my head.

I stuck my tongue out at him, but as soon as my Dad walked into the room, we both started bouncing with excitement. (Toya made me promise I wouldn't tell any of his friends that he was quite _that _excited--teehee!)

Dad was all smiles; he sat down and took a swig of his coffee before beckoning for us to join him at the table. Toya pulled out a chair for himself and I plopped down in it before he could. I smirked at him and he pulled out the other chair, grumbling about cherries. (I know, what?)

"Well, let's start with happy birthday to you both!" he said proudly. We both smiled at him. "And as you both are completely aware of, you are getting a very special--VERY SPECIAL--surprise today!"

I couldn't help my gigantic smile. I was finally going to have my totally awesome surprise!!

"Are either of you seeing anybody right now?" Dad asked randomly.

"Uh…what?" I asked stupidly. "No…" Toya shook his head.

Dad's smile got even wider. "Good! That's perfect! Because your big surprise is that you have fiancées!" He threw his arms out dramatically.

My jaw dropped to the ground and Toya stood with such force and anger the he ended up flinging his chair across the room. It would have pissed itself if it could, I'm sure.

"Are you kidding me?!" he roared. "You must be insane! Fiancées?! For me and Sakura?!"

Dad blinked. "You mean you aren't happy?"

"NO!" we both cried in unison.

He smiled again. "I didn't think so! But you know how love stories work--you'll end up falling for each other eventually. And besides…these people are a little…different."

"Oh, sure!" I groaned. " 'A little…different,' he says mysteriously!"

Dad laughed. "Trust me, guys, you'll learn to love 'em."

"I think not," I said, pouting. _This _was my big surprise I'd waited my whole life for?!

Toya crossed his arms over his chest. "If they're coming over, send them back home. I don't want to see them, and I'm pretty sure Sakura doesn't, either." I shook my head vigorously in support.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. And besides, you never know if you'll like them or not. You've never met them, so you can't claim them to be bad people, right?" Dad pointed out, winking at my brother.

"We don't need to meet them!" I protested. "Arranged marriages are so last century, anyways! Besides, there was this cute guy in my class that will be going to Tomoeda High this year, and I was hoping…" I caught Toya's glare. "I mean…"

Dad let out another loud laugh. "You two are too much!" He stood up and rinsed out his coffee mug. "Have you two got most of your stuff packed?"

"Yeah," I sighed, glad for a change of subject. We were also moving to a new house today; in the same area, though, so no need for a school change. "There's just some clothes, books and my dart board to pack away still. Oh yeah, and the phone…"

"I thought you packed that already!"

"Well…I needed to call Harumi-chan!" I squeaked. Toya grunted. I stuck my tongue out at him again. For some reason, he'd never really liked Harumi. And I haven't even known her for that long.

Dad sighed. "Oh, whatever…go finish packing, then."

* * *

"Come on, you guys, hurry up!" Dad called up the stairs to us.

"All right, all right, we're coming, geez!" I yelled back, grabbing the last of my boxes. I rushed down the stairs and plopped them down with my other things. At least moving would take my mind off the whole fiancé thing. Not long after, Toya came down the stairs with his final boxes, as well.

"Any minute now, the Li family will be coming. There will be enough room in their, er, car for all of us, and they're bringing a truck for all of our belongings to bring to the new house," Dad explained.

Toya frowned. "But that makes it sound like they're moving in with us too…hey!!"

The doorbell rang, and Dad temporarily escaped Toya's rage.

Dad opened the door and a tall, slender woman with long black hair embraced him and he returned the gesture. I cocked an eyebrow and exchanged a glance with Toya; Dad usually didn't associate with beautiful women…

"Toya, Sakura, this is Li Yelan," he introduced. "Yelan-san, these are my children, Sakura and Toya."

Yelan smiled. It was a tight kind of smile, but there was warmth in her eyes. She bowed, and I bowed as well, deeply.

"It's nice to meet you," she said. Her voice was like the tinkling of bells. She could only be a super model…!!

"I-It's nice to meet you, too," I stuttered.

Yelan stood up straight again. "Girls!"

A girl with short, reddish hair walked in; she was wearing a leather jacket.

"This is Fanren," Yelan said. Fanren bowed a little.

A girl with the same coloured hair, only longer walked in. She had really shiny eyes and looked very delicate.

"This is Fuutie."

Fuutie bowed. "It's…very nice to meet you…"

A third girl walked in, same colour hair, but long and with a big red bow. She was all smiles.

"This is Shiefa."

"HI!!" she exclaimed, waving.

Yet another girl stepped into the house. She had her (same coloured) hair in a tie around her shoulder.

"This is Feimei."

She just winked at Toya.

Dad jumped in. "Toya, you are to pick one of these girls to be your bride."

Toya blinked, his face a little red. "What…? Isn't that kind of…"

"Unfair to the other girls?" I finished for him.

In unison, all four girls shook their heads.

"We know how to deal," Fanren said.

"And I know we'd be able to find other guys if one of us isn't picked," Feimei giggled.

"Uh…right…" I said, kind of creeped out. But whatever changed the subject from…

"Now Sakura, here's your fiancé," Dad said.

Crap!

"Syaoran!" Yelan called.

All of the girls giggled, whispering things about love at first sight and cuteness. Hmph! I think not!

A boy stepped through the doorway. He had long legs and his clothes complimented his perfect body nicely. He had chocolate brown hair and intense amber eyes, along with a gorgeous face to boot.

"This is my only son, Syaoran," Yelan said, smiling.

Syaoran bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he greeted. His voice was like velvet.

"Well, this is Toya," Dad said, motioning to him. "And this is Sakura."

Toya and I bowed. I avoided looking Syaoran in the eye. Even though he was totally hot, I could tell he was just plain arrogant.

"Please, put your things in the moving truck," Yelan said.

I picked up some of my boxes and started for the door. Syaoran stepped in front of me.

"Here, let me take those for you," he offered, outstretching his hands.

"…No, thanks. I can do it myself," I told him, sidestepping to get through the door. Hmph! Thinks I'm so weak just 'cause I'm a girl!

* * *

After everything was loaded, we all climbed into the limo they had arrived in.

"Did you know," Shiefa said, "that we paid to build our new house that our parents designed together? Your Dad has some really cool ideas!"

"What're you, rich?" Toya muttered.

All four girls squealed, "Yes!"

I sighed. Great. Now my fiancé was a hot, arrogant rich kid. That was a bad combination.

We got to the new house and I immediately raced to the moving truck. I was afraid to see the house. I took a bunch of boxes, and stumbled over to my home. I caught a glimpse of it; it was GIGANTIC!!! My jaw dropped for the second time that day, along with all the boxes I was holding.

"Ahh!" I exclaimed, scrambling to pick up the fallen boxes.

Syaoran walked over and picked some of them up. I looked at him, and ended up looking straight into his amber eyes. He was looking back into mine. We both blushed, and I rushed past him to the house.

Yelan was already waiting in the living room.

"Where should I put these, Li-san?" I asked her.

She smiled that tight, warm smile again. "Just call me Yelan. And just drop them anywhere; I have people that will set your room up for you."

"Whoa! That's so cool!" I gasped.

She chuckled. "Yes. You just wait here and let them do the work."

I smiled and sat on one of the sofas. I guessed they had already moved things like couches and beds in…or something.

After everyone brought their things in, they all picked a spot to sit.

"So, what do you kids all think of each other?" Dad asked, all smiley-smiley again.

"I think Toya's really cute!" Four girls shrieking at the same time is very frightening.

"And," Feimei added playfully, "I think Sakura-chan and Syaoran-chan are the most adorable couple ever!"

Syaoran and I both stood, our faces red.

"I-I just met him!" I sputtered, embarrassed.

Syaoran flopped back down into his seat. "I can't believe you're making me marry this woman…"

I ground my teeth. "Arrogant rich kid…" I muttered, glaring at him.

He jumped up again. "What did you say?!"

Crap! He heard!

I gathered my courage and repeated, "I called you an arrogant, stuck-up rich kid!!"

"Well you're just a girl, and not even a cute one!" he shot back.

"I think she's cute," Shiefa put in.

"Shut up!" Syaoran spat.

"Hey!" Toya shouted. "My sister's plenty cute!"

I could tell it took all of _his _courage to stand up to my brother. "No, she's not!"

Toya pierced him with a gaze that shot daggers.

Dad chuckled. "You'll die in seven days, my friend."

"Argh! I _refuse _to marry this jerk!" I shouted. I ran over to the stairs, but so did Syaoran. "Don't follow me when I storm away!"

"My room's up the stairs, too!" he hissed.

It turned into a race up the stairs and to our bedrooms. They were right across from each other. Creepy.

* * *

An hour later, my Dad came knocking. I told him to come in, and he sat on my bed. I was in my armchair, reading a book.

"You and Syaoran-kun got off to a bad start, huh?" he sighed.

"Yes. I hate him," I said bluntly, not looking away from my book.

Dad chuckled. "No, you don't. You just didn't start right."

I eyed my Dad. He's so pure and honest. I just can't be mad at him. Or disagree with him that much, unfortunately.

"You're right," I sighed, putting my book in my lap.

Dad smiled. "Good. Now you should go and apologize to him, and ask to start over."

I sighed again, standing up. "All right…"

I walked across the hall and knocked on his door.

He opened it and cocked an eyebrow.

"Can…can I come in?" I asked.

Wordlessly, he stepped to the side and let me in. I sat on his bed.

"I just wanted to say, gomen nasai," I said, reddening a little. "And…let's start over…"

I looked up at him. I frowned; his eyes were blank. Suddenly, his head snapped back in my direction. His eyes looked different than before, somehow…

He stepped towards me, and it was then that I realized he was shirtless. I blushed as he approached me. I pushed myself against the wall, and he knelt on the bed. He outstretched his arms and pinned me to the wall.

"What…are you doing…?" I managed. My face was burning.

I finally looked at his face, and gasped. His eyes were so bright and innocent! He was grinning!

"We're gonna be so happy together, I just know it! We'll grow old together and our children will have to take care of us, but we won't mind as long as we're together 'cause our love is the strongest!!" he spouted, speaking really fast.

I blinked. "What are you talking about?! I just said start over…!"

Then I noticed his face was moving closer to mine. I blushed even harder and somehow ended up slamming against the wall in a futile attempt to escape him. A book fell from the shelf overhead, and smacked Syaoran.

"Ow…! What…? Aw, crap! What happened this time?" he muttered to himself.

"Ah-hem."

He looked up, like he was noticing me for the first time. He blushed and leapt backwards.

He started breathing slowly in and out, holding his face. After a minute, he sighed.

"What was that all about!?" I screamed.

"Rrgh! Shut up! Come downstairs and I'll tell you."

We went down to the kitchen. He grabbed two cups and a bottle of root beer.

"So? Tell me what happened!" I exclaimed angrily. My heart was still trying to recover!

"Tch! Women are so impatient!" he grumbled as he poured the drink. "Well if you really must know--"

"I really do!" I butted in.

"--I have multiple personalities," he sighed, taking a sip of root beer.

I gaped at him. "Don't lie to me!"

"I'm not! There are different...theories of why I developed them. But the most logical one would be, since I live in chaos with my sisters, I ended with a personality kind of like each of theirs. I grew up in a house with absolutely no men, and it affected me." His eyes flashed suddenly; I wondered what that was about. He shrugged. "Could be either. Beats me. All I know is, I'm a freak now."

I couldn't argue with him. It really looked like he was telling the truth, and he _was _acting like a different person in his room…except, that glint in his eyes kind of bothered me.

"So…what personality was that, then?" I asked slowly.

"That was the dreamer. He's smart with a HUGE imagination, and is quite the hopeless romantic," Syaoran told me, rolling his eyes.

"And what are the other ones?" I went on. I was very curious now…

"I'm not telling you."

"What?! You have to tell me!" I protested.

"No." He set his empty cup down and took mine.

"Hey--that one's mine!"

He smirked and held it over his head, out of my reach. I jumped up and tried to grab it from him, but he held it even further away. I tried in vain to get it back.

"So…does this mean you guys are interested in each other now?" Yelan's voice came from behind us.

I looked over to see all of the Li women, my Dad and Toya staring at us. (Toya lowered Syaoran's life count to six days in that moment)

And it was then that I realized I had somehow wrapped one arm around his neck trying to get my precious root beer back, and my other one was just resting on his bare chest.

"No!" we both shouted, blushing.

Suddenly, he wrapped his arm around my waist and drank some of my pop. Then he set it down, only to be quickly picked up by me. I took a swig, and turned to him; he was grinning innocently…

"That was an indirect kiss, see! It's the start of our undying love--"

"Argh! I hate this personality!!" I shouted, and everyone else laughed.

**Did you like it?! I hope so!! It will get better, I didn't really like how I wrote this so I don't mind if you didn't either! XD But I hope you'll still review!! And please try to actually review, not just put it on alert or favourites. =v= Thank you!!**


	2. School

******Multiple Personalities**

**Chapter 2**

**School**

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**Thank you to everyone who reviewed!! You're so awesome~~ Replies to them will be at the bottom of the page. :) I hope you'll review again!! ^.^ Please enjoy this next chapter!! Oh yeah, and sorry that the allignment is all screwed up. T-T**

* * *

"Must he really come to Tomoeda High, Dad?" I whined, pointing at Syaoran.

"I know you're fully aware that I'm _standing right next you!!_" Syaoran hissed.

"Waaah!" I pretended to cry, seeing that my older brother had just walked in.

I saw a vein pop in Toya's head. "What did you do to my sister, twerp?!"

"N-nothing!" Syaoran stuttered back.

Toya glared at him.

"…Nothing, sir," Toya said. Syaoran blinked. "Nothing, _sir," _Toya repeated.

Finally, Syaoran understood. Not wanting to die at fifteen, he squeaked, "Nothing, sir!"

Toya grunted. "This kid has no backbone. You make me wanna hurt you."

I laughed at Syaoran. "You fell for it, loser!"

"Shut up!" Syaoran shot back, embarrassed.

Dad and Yelan laughed.

So as you can see, Syaoran and I still hate each other. And I don't expect this to change. Especially since he'll be following me around school all the time now, as well.

"School starts tomorrow, Sakura," Dad said, smiling. "We can't change Syaoran's enrollment now. Not that we would, anyway."

I pouted. "Well, I'm gonna go start wearing all black and cutting myself, then."

Syaoran snorted. "Please, do."

"Syaoran," Yelan said curtly.

"Sorry, mother," he muttered.

"Now go to bed," Dad instructed. "No more sleeping in till noon starting tomorrow."

Syaoran and I groaned at the same time and trudged over to the stairs. Without saying anything, we went into our rooms and shut the door.

I sighed. My life was about to get exciting…

* * *

I woke up at seven the next morning…I thought. When I looked at the clock, it was seven thirty.

"HOEE!!" I screamed, leaping out of bed and getting dressed at lightning speed. I dashed down the stairs and crashed into Syaoran.

"Gyah--would you watch where you're going, you insolent woman!" Syaoran said.

"Good morning," I mumbled darkly, walking over to the table.

"I'm all ready to leave now, unlike a certain incapable woman who gets up late, so bye!" Syaoran called out.

"Not so fast!" Feimei, Shiefa, Fuutie and Fanren all jumped out, blocking Syaoran's way out.

"What are you doing?!"

"You have to walk to school with Sakura-chan, Syaoran!" Fuutie said.

"I am not!" Syaoran yelled back.

Fuutie gasped, tears springing to her eyes. She jumped into Fanren's arms, crying. "Syaoran was mean to me again…!" Fanren glared at her brother.

"The girls are right, Syaoran," Yelan said, stepping into the room. "You're going to be walking to school with Sakura."

"Whaat?!" Syaoran gaped. "Why?!"

"Silence!" Yelan snapped, and Syaoran stood straight. "You're walking to school with Sakura."

"…Yes, mother…"

I blinked. Hm. I now knew not to mess with Yelan! She could silence that whiny guy in a second. I suddenly had no objection to walking to school with Syaoran. None that would reach Yelan's ears, anyway…

I quickly finished my breakfast, and headed for the door. When I stepped out, Syaoran reluctantly followed. I stared at him.

"…What?"

"You don't even know where the school is, do you?" I asked, smirking.

Syaoran glared at me. "And?"

I burst out laughing. "You were gonna follow me to school anyway! Putting on that tough guy act at home!"

"Shut up!" he spat back, turning pink. "I won't walk behind you, then! I'll find it on my own!"

"Fine." I turned back and kept on my way. After a minute, I looked back to see Syaoran asking someone else where it was. I sighed and walked back to him. "Come on, let's go."

He blinked, then ran up to walk in pace with me.

"…I won't have to walk with you tomorrow, you know," he said.

"Whatever."

After another moment of silence, he grumbled, "Women."

"And what exactly do you have against women?" I snapped.

"You're loud and annoying and inconsiderate--"

"Right, because men aren't?!" I spat, cutting him off.

"No, they aren't! Men are the powerful ones!"

"What a typical rich boy way of thinking," I muttered.

"So now _you're _stereotyping rich people?" he accused.

I scowled. "You are really annoying, you know that?! Can't you just not talk or something?!"

"Can't _you _stop being a stupid hypocrite woman?"

"No, in fact, I can't. I'm not stupid or a hypocrite to begin with. As for being a woman--only with surgery," I replied.

He snorted. "So now you're all smart and everything? Tch."

"I was smart to begin with."

"I doubt it."

I grit my teeth. Was Dad retarded or something?! Giving me a fiancé when I'm fifteen, only to find out he has MPD, then to find out he's totally mental?!

…………………………………………………

Yes. Yes, Dad probably is retarded.

We continued bickering until we got to school. We got too embarrassed to say anything because everyone was staring and whispering and giggling and pointing. About Syaoran? Or about Syaoran and I walking together?

"Can I ask why everyone is staring at us?" he whispered to me.

"Because I'm suddenly walking to school with a guy no one's ever seen before," I muttered back.

"Hmm…they must all be jealous," he concluded. I sighed. He looked over at some girls I recognized from middle school--I recognized a lot of people, because they were mostly from my middle school--and smiled at them. They all squealed and blushed.

He laughed. "It should be easy to find a girlfriend here! Well…as long as they're all prettier than you. Women are easy."

I growled and opened my mouth to retaliate, but I stopped when I heard a familiar voice call my name.

"Sakura-chan!"

I turned around and grinned. "Harumi-chan!"

She ran up to me and hugged me. "Sakura-chan! Long time no see!"

I giggled. "Uhm, I saw you like two weeks ago, and we talked on the phone every day."

"Must you be so logical?" she sighed dramatically, causing me to giggle again. "But anyway, I feel so cool! We're in high school now!"

"I know! But I don't want to act like that because after seeing the grade sevens starting middle school thinking they're so cool, I don't want to annoy the upper-classmen like they did," I said. Harumi nodded in agreement.

"Ah-hem," Syaoran coughed. I turned around and frowned. "Have you forgotten about me?"

"Unfortunately, no."

He cocked an eyebrow. "So you'd really be so cruel as to leave me to fend for myself in a school of unknowns?"

I nodded happily.

"Really?" He was grinning now, and I knew he was gonna make fun of me. "Because you couldn't seem to bear leaving me on the way here. You came back all flustered. How cute! Well, not really, but…"

I blushed. "Shut up!"

He waltzed past me to Harumi. "Or shall I get your lovely lady friend to escort me to my classes?" He picked up her hand and kissed it tenderly.

"Lay off of her, Syaoran-kun! This is not the time to use your rich boy manners!" I pushed him away from my mesmerized friend. "And lay off everyone else! I mean it!"

"Aww, you want me all to yourself!" he squealed in a phony voice. "How sickening."

I slapped my forehead and dragged my hands down my face. "You are the most infuriating guy ever."

He smirked. "Only for you, ugly." Hmph. It seems he hid his monsterous self to others so he could lure them in and eat them.

The bell rang, and all the students shuffled to their homeroom class. Of course, Terada sat me right beside Syaoran.

As he began to talk, I wrote a note to Syaoran.

_Don't tell anyone we're engaged, or that we even know each other, or I'll rip your eyes out!_

He read it and nodded, and wrote back:

_Okay. But we need to get rid of this note--eat it._

I blinked and stared at him. Totally serious, he nodded. I looked at the little piece of paper and gulped. Why should I listen to him? I don't have to do what he wants.

But, then again...I also don't want people to know we're 'engaged'.

Again, I looked from Syaoran to the note.

And then I shoved it in my mouth.

Suddenly, Syaoran burst out laughing.

"OH MY GOD!! YOU ACTUALLY DID IT! YOU REALLY ATE IT!!" he screamed, clutching his stomach. "You are the stupidest chick I'll ever know!" He laughed again. "She really did it!!"

I blushed. "You-you tricked me!"

"It was a pretty obvious trick, you ditz! I can't believe you actually ate it!"

"Why-y-you…!" I growled.

_"_Hey, I can't help it - I like testing people's stupidity,_"_ he grinned, holding his arms up innocently.

"Li-kun, Kinomoto-kun. Can I ask what your outburst is all about?" Terada cut in.

We both blushed and apologized.

The teacher sighed. "I'll let it go since Li-kun is new and you're the only one that knows him, Kinomoto-kun."

My sudden thought then was--is Terada-sensei following me? I mean, really, he's been my teacher since like fourth grade!

"Err…right," I replied finally, sitting down. Syaoran hid behind his books and continued having fits of laughter.

When lunch finally rolled around, I raced out of the class as soon as I could, straight to my locker.

"Hey…Kinomoto-chan."

I turned around and saw some girls from my class last year. "Oh…hey guys."

"Uhmm…so…who's the new guy? I heard his name's Li Syaoran. And he's really hot."

I sighed inwardly. Here come the fan girls.

"Yes. He's Li Syaoran," I said.

"How do you know him? Is he…your boyfriend?" the girl asked.

"N-no," I told her, squeezing my lunch. _No, he's not my boyfriend. He's my fiancé. We're living together now! And he has MPD. But I only know what one of the personalities is. Wanna help me figure the other ones out?_

Sure I'll say that, if I want to be mauled by a giraffe.

Tomoeda fan girls are scary. *shiver*

I snapped out of my mental world. "So…yeah, I'll see you around!" I quickly dashed off to find Harumi.

When I did find her, she was talking to Syaoran. And giggling and blushing. _Aw crap, she likes him._

"Hey, let's go eat, Harumi-chan!" I interrupted bluntly.

"Oh, okay," she said. "Well, see you later, Li-kun!"

As we walked away, I turned around and had a little glaring contest with Syaoran before going into an empty classroom to eat.

I sighed. "Some girls approached me about Syaoran-kun earlier. And I know that's only the start."

"Well, he does look like a god," Harumi giggled. "You must admit."

"Once you see what he's really like, you won't like him so much," I said.

"But he seems pretty okay."

"He's the devil's offspring! Notice how only his mother came to live with us!" I pointed out, and Harumi laughed.

"But you should be careful. You know how rumours rip through here," Harumi warned me. "And be careful of evil fan girls!"

I smiled. "I was thinking the same thing!"

Harumi stood. "I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back."

"All right."

A minute after she left, I noticed people gathering around the doorway to the classroom.

"Er…can I help you?" I asked loudly.

"Is it true…that you and Li-kun are engaged?" the girl at the entrance questioned.

My eyes widened. "What? Where did you hear that?"

"Well…everybody's talking about it…" The girl looked frightened.

"When did you hear it?" I continued.

"W-well…I only heard just now…but people were talking about it before..."

I kicked my chair back and ran out of the class. Lucky for me, Syaoran was in the same hallway as me.

"Hey!" I hissed, trying not to make a scene. "Did you tell!?"

"No!" he growled back. "I thought you did, since your brain can't comprehend things like secrets!"

"Rrgh! I bet someone saw the note earlier!" I said, exasperated.

"At least you ate it and now no one has proof," Syaoran chuckled, smirking.

My anger boiled over. "Shut up! You're just an arrogant jerk that does nothing for himself, and I bet you sold me out so you'd be more popular! You are so unbelievably stupid!" I yelled.

And you'll never believe what he did next.

**Yay~A cliffhanger on the second chapter!! :D And I think it's a pretty mean one, too! XD I hope that means you'll review!! Thank you for reading!! ^^ And sorry cuz this chapter was a little fillerish. :3**

* * *

**_------Review Replies for Chapter One...Slash Two-----_**

iceheartprincess: Thank you for reviewing~~I hope you keep reading~~

korin-chan07: XDXD Thank you!!! I hope my update was fast enough! XD

Twilight Kisses: The SxS section has been kind of quiet lately, huh? And some of the good ones all have horrible grammar and such, and are hard to read! XD Thank you for reviewing!! I'm so glad you liked it!

Fuji: Well, Toya can't have all of them in my country or Japan so there! XD You're welcome for the fic!

Green Fox: Outrageous! Yay! Not original? How hurtful! XDXD I'm kidding, thanks for reviewing. ^^

Enigma infinite: I know it went kind of fast, but I really wanted to squeeze the first personality into the first chapter. ^^ Please read more~~

darkest passion of love: I know, eh? XD Five Syaorans! But that would also be hard to live with! XD

Annzy: Well, in the next chapter you'll find out at least one more...neheheheheheh....

CuteSherry: Hey, it's only the first chapter! The drama is coming, trust me. And the whole 'my twin brother(s) died at birth' thing is usually the explanation for MPD in fictional stories. Thanks for reviewing. ^^ **New! So I made another 'theory' to it in the last chapter. Those are the two things that came to mind.

critique-101: Well then! Go ahead and critique! :P

Tanuokami: Oh I'll definitely keep this one! XD AND OMG I'm sorry I haven't gotten to your new Sokai story yet!! I promise it's next! D:

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SakuraS41: I hope you continue reading!

**_Thank you to everyone who reviewed!!! _**


	3. YouTube

**Multiple Personalities**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**YouTube**

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**So! I would really like to thank everyone that reviewed the last chapters, because they really inspired me!!! I really needed that nudge, so thank you for it! I'm going to try so much harder now on this story and all of them! So I hope you'll all continue reading!!! Oh yeah – and I rewrote some sections of the other chapters. The ones that matter the most are the parts where Sakura eats the paper and where Syaoran explains about his MPD! You seriously have to read that one again. Heheh! Thanks again, and I hope you'll all review again!!!**

**And yay -- I made a CCS community. :3 It's called Well Written CCS Stories! It's for fics with good grammar and spelling. It's just painful to read ones that are bad like that. :( Hope you'll join! **

**To stop any OTHER confusion.......I made the first chapter whole again. ^^" Eheheh. Sorry, again.**

* * *

I stared at Syaoran in shock and disbelief. He whimpered and attempted to wipe away his tears, but they kept falling down his cheeks. He gave me one last hurt look before dashing away into the crowd.

I was completely and utterly stunned. Syaoran? Crying?

The crowd, after staring, dumbfounded, after Syaoran, directed their attention at me. One girl stepped forward.

"You were mean to Li-sama!" she yelled angrily.

Another girl stepped in. "Yeah, you were mean to him and made him cry!"

My eyes widened. "I was _mean _to him and made him _cry?_" I repeated. "Do you realize how messed up that sounds?"

Suddenly, everyone started shouting accusations at me. They were all standing up for a **guy **that _cries _in front of everybody?! What happened to pointing and laughing?!

And in that instant, basically the whole school had become a pit of angry, hissing snakes. I made my way back to the classroom, pushing and shoving, but not without getting hit myself a couple of times.

I slammed the door shut, rubbing my sore arm. Why was everyone getting so worked up about Syaoran crying? It was like he was their God!

I sighed. "Well, I guess he has that effect on me, as well. Except he makes me wanna hurt him really bad." I plopped down in a chair. "It's like he toys with your emotions unconsciously. What do you call that…charismatic, or something?"

I blinked, suddenly sitting up straight. "Wait a minute…god, I'm so stupid! That was another of his personalities!" Despite my situation, I grinned. That meant that there were only two left to discover!

I counted on my fingers. "Normal, dreamer, and crybaby…huh?" I giggled to myself. "What a strange combination." I looked out the window at the clear blue sky outside. "It just makes me wonder what the others could possibly be…"

Someone came crashing through the door. I whipped around, prepared to fight, but sighed in relief to see it was only Harumi.

"Sakura-chan…" she whimpered, her eyes glistening. "People are talking about you and Li-kun being engaged. "I don't…I don't know how it could have gotten out…" She moaned, and tears slid over her eyelashes. "I…I'm so…sorry," she stuttered. "I-I bet someone…o-overheard me…talking about it…" She hiccuped. "I'm…s-soo stupid…"

I stepped over to my friend and wrapped my arms around her comfortingly. "It's okay, Harumi-chan…it's not your fault," I whispered.

She returned my embrace, and buried her face in my shoulder.

I sighed inwardly. Shouldn't _I _have been the one crying?

* * *

I almost jumped with joy when the bell signaling the end of the day rang. The principal had been droning on about trying our best in high school, blah blah blah. I had almost forgotten that it was only the first day of school. Oh, yay.

But of course, I was on cleaning duty. Peh. Figures.

A lot of people had calmed down, though. I'd managed to make friends with the other kids on cleaning duty. There was Chiharu, Kaori, Chiori and Kazuhiko.

So we were talking and having a good time for a good five minutes, before Syaoran raced into the room, followed by a pack of students. (girls **and **boys) He stopped, panting.

"Oh…my god," he huffed. "You guys are…crazy…"

I watched him quizzically as he tried to tell the other people to go away. Obviously, it wasn't working.

Finally, he looked over and noticed me. His eyes went blank for a second, then went back to normal.

Everyone in the room had been talking all at once, but when Syaoran took a single step, it fell silent. All the students watched their master walk over to where I was sitting. He slid his hands into his pockets and smiled at me. But it wasn't a mocking smile. Nor did it seem to be a regular smile.

Syaoran kept coming closer and closer, and I hadn't realized I was backing up until I hit the wall. The broom fell from my hand and landed on the ground with a seemingly deafening clatter. I groped the wall as if to look for an escape; I didn't know why it was unnerving me so much!

My fingers touched the edge of a desk, and I slipped over to it. It didn't help much, though; it was right up to the wall. But when Syaoran came ever closer, I hopped up onto it nervously.

Finally, Syaoran removed his hands from his pockets. He placed them on the desk, and pulled himself up on top, as well. I was barely conscious of the huge group of people all holding their breath to see what happened next.

I glanced behind me; the windowsill! It was quite large. I slid myself back onto that, and Syaoran smiled and moved towards me. I kicked myself mentally. That was actually the worst move I'd made yet!

He had me pinned now; not that I knew why. His eyes bore into mine, and I took into account for the first time how their amber colour perfected his visage. I shook the thought away; not really a time to be thinking about that!

I yelped when I felt his hand slip up the back of my shirt. My face instantly went red. The other hand was skimming my thigh. Curse these short skirts!

I really had no idea what to think. In fact, my mind was blank.

But I was really surprised when his warm, soft lips caressed mine. I faintly heard everybody else gasp. I groaned in protest and embarrassment. What was this idiot doing?!

But then, I could have shrieked when I felt his **tongue** slither into my mouth. And at the same time, his hands were going a little too far up, as well. I couldn't take it anymore.

I bit his lip harshly, and he blinked in surprise.

His face heated up, and he immediately drew his face away.

I could finally breathe again when I concluded that it was another personality. Two in one day? That was just exhausting.

Syaoran gulped. "Er…sorry."

"N…no problem," I told him, not sure what to say. "I mean…y-yes, problem, but…this probably isn't the best place." I signaled to the rest of the students, some with phones and cameras pointed at us. Each one of them was just as red as Syaoran and I.

I nudged Syaoran off the table, and then jumped down myself. The room was still silent, except now, (for me) it was heavy with embarrassment and confusion. For everyone else, it was excitement and wonder, and maybe even anger for some. But right now, it only matters what **I **feel…but I was curious as to what it felt like to Syaoran.

We walked down the halls silently. The school was empty, except for all the people upstairs. It made it even more awkward for us.

"So…" I started. "That was…"

"That was the, er, flirty personality," Syaoran said.

Huh. So basically, the perverted one.

Inside me, curiosity bubbled. Only one more left to go!

Ahead of me, Syaoran chuckled. I looked up. "What's so funny?"

He turned back to me. "Tomoeda sure is a crazy place, huh?"

I exhaled. "Yep."

* * *

When we got back to the house, everybody was waiting silently in the living room. The door clicked, and they all looked back at us expectantly.

Shiefa giggled. "So you guys **do **like each other!"

I blinked. "What?"

Yelan snapped her fingers. Wei, the head butler, came out of nowhere with a laptop.

"Sure as hell looked like it on YouTube," Toya growled.

I flushed, remembering all the cell phones and cameras that had been taken out in the classroom. **Crap! **

Wei typed something in on the computer, and enlarged the video. Of course, it was of Syaoran and I making out at school.

"Ohh, crap," I groaned, burying my face in my hands. "It was all stupid Syaoran's fault!"

He ignored the fact that I'd taken away the respective suffix to his name. "It wasn't _my_ fault," he grumbled. "It was the stupid personality."

I looked through my fingers at the screen. "Out of curiosity, what's the description?" I asked weakly.

Wei cleared his throat. "Steamy scene: the new, totally gorgeous God, Li Syaoran, making out with his fiancée, Kinomoto Sakura." It sounded really awkward with Wei saying it. "Totally unexpected but hot."

It made me blush even more. I groaned again. "What a horrible first day of high school."

"You think you got it bad?" Syaoran asked, annoyed. "What a horrible first day in Tomoeda. Now everyone thinks I'm taken."

"Ugh. I hope we find the slime that leaked about, er, 'us' in the first place," I said, clenching my fist.

Syaoran grunted. "Mom, call YouTube and Facebook and whatever Internet site that has video, and tell them to remove **every single one of those**."

Yelan smiled and nodded, clearly amused.

Syaoran shook his head and went up the stairs.

I sighed. What a weird day.

What I didn't know was that 'weird' didn't begin to describe what was ahead of me.

**Meep! I hope you liked it! I worked hard on it! Again, thank you sooo much to everyone who reviewed last chapter!!! I hope you'll all review again this time!!! SO PLEASE REVIEW!!! Thank you!! (So no review replies this chapter cuz....I don't feel like it. -_- Shut up)**


	4. Tomoyo

**Multiple Personalities**

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**Chapter Four**

**Tomoyo**

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**Hey, everyone…well, here's another update. With the last chapter, I screwed some stuff up with switching around chapters…so those of you who reviewed when it was like that won't be able to review now. Sorry. ^^" (That's why I made it such a short chapter! Mwahaha!)**

**Myeh…for some reason, I think I wrote this chapter really badly. I felt like I did a good job with the last chapter, but this one seemed a little…off. It's kind of a filler-ish, introduction-ish chapter. But I hope you'll still like it anyway. Don't worry, I promise next chapter will be better! **

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I'm very grateful.**

**UPDATE+And speaking of reviews...I got an enormous amount of story alerts and favourites...but only about two reviews! PLEASE review; it's nice to know I have readers, but what every author really wants is reviews! (good reviews) It only takes up a second of your time, and it makes someone else very happy!!! (ME!!) And you have to remember that reviews make me update faster, not alerts...Mwahaha...So, yeah...review, please! :3 I love you guys!+UPDATE**

* * *

"This is all your fault," I hissed quietly to Syaoran.

"Maybe if you had been smarter about it, we wouldn't be in this situation," he retorted irritably.

We growled back and forth quietly as we walked through the school gates. People were pointing and giggling at us as we walked by. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to erase the existence of a video on the internet. Especially when a hundred kids have original copies on their cell phones. And then they send it to other people, who send it to other people, who send it to other people who put it on YouTube. Why was the video even so popular?! I don't get it!

Anyway, now absolutely everybody in the school, and probably some random other kids in Australia, London, Beijing, America, Canada…and everywhere else that people go on YouTube, knows about that stupid video of Syaoran's 'flirty' personality.

"Sakura-chan!"

I heard Harumi calling me, and turned in the direction of her voice. She ran over to me.

"Good morning, Harumi-chan," I sighed.

She squeezed my arm. "It'll be okay, Sakura-chan. Rumours only last around seventy days. And I'm sure people will get over it sooner than that, anyway."

I smiled at her half-heartedly. "Yeah, you're right. And I guess I need to get over it, too…"

"You kidding?" Syaoran butted in. "I had nightmares last night. I'll never get over that trauma. Especially when I have to relive it every time I go on the computer!"

I elbowed him in the ribs. Harumi looked confused; from everyone else's perspective, Syaoran initiated the kiss. So what he said **would** sound weird.

The bell rang, and everybody was suddenly in a hurry to get into the building. I sighed and joined the crowd on their way to class.

In third period, there were two girls near Syaoran and I that wouldn't shut up. I tried to pay attention to the teacher, who was droning on about the importance of history, but it was hard.

"They're cute together," one girl whispered.

"Yeah, even though I want him, I'll have to admit that," the other giggled back.

"I'd vote them couple of the year. And the year's only just started!"

"I know, right!"

They giggled in unison and turned to look at us. I glanced at Syaoran, whose face was hidden by the textbook. As I was moving to watch the teacher again, he suddenly slammed the book shut. The teacher looked up.

"Li-kun?" she called, sounding a little annoyed. "Do you have an opinion on the importance of history?"

Syaoran shot out of his seat, the chair squeaking against the floor. He looked straight at the teacher, his eyes sparkling. I knew in an instant what was happening.

"I think that knowing history is an amazing thing! We can learn what our ancestors did and try to build on that! Well, not the whole let's go to war thing, but the good things like female presidents and new inventions!" he stated in a rush, throwing his hands out in emphasis. "History is most wonderful, is it not?! It's –"

"Syaoran!" I hissed sternly, and slapped his leg discreetly. "Get out of dreamer mode, you idiot!"

He let out a loud "Ow!" and I saw his eyes go blank.

I rolled my eyes as his face went red. He apologized to the teacher and sat down again sheepishly as the class burst into laughter.

His sudden outburst made me wonder what the final personality could possibly be…

* * *

The bell rang, and I stealthily shoved all my books into my bag and ran out of the class, straight to my locker. Chiharu, from clean-up duty, had called the night before and asked if she could eat lunch with Harumi and I. Of course, I accepted. She was so full of energy, and it was nice to have a new friend.

I slammed the locker door when I was finished, and saw Syaoran smirking at me as he leaned against his own locker.

"Why're you in such a hurry?" he asked, his hands in his pockets.

I frowned at him. "Because I have friends."

"No way!" He feigned surprise, and I rolled my eyes.

"Sakura-chan!" I heard Chiharu's voice behind me, and quickly turned away from Syaoran to face her.

"Hey, Chiharu-chan!" I greeted, smiling.

"Come on; we're meeting Harumi and Rika in the cafeteria." She grabbed my hand and we started walking to the lunch area. I looked back at Syaoran to stick my tongue out at him quickly, and he did the same to me.

"This is Sasaki Rika, by the way," Chiharu introduced quickly as we slipped into some seats in the cafeteria. "Rika-chan, this is Kinomoto Sakura and Otori Harumi."

I smiled at her; she was really pretty. She was very mature looking, with her hair cut short and curled under, and her make-up kept to a minimum. She had proper posture, unlike the rest of us at the table. Especially me.

"A pleasure to meet you both," she giggled, smiling.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too," Harumi replied.

I nodded, still smiling stupidly.

"Having fun?"

I glared at Syaoran as he passed by, muttering to me quickly.

…Well, it was a stupid looking smile…

"So what classes do you take, Sasaki-chan?" I asked her, poking my salad with my fork.

"Please, call me Rika," she said. I nodded, the smile creeping back onto my face. "Well, I'm taking art –"

"Sorry, you guys, but Tomoyo-chan wants to know if you're still going to the movies tonight?" Another girl appeared, also very pretty. While she looked timid, hiding behind her glasses and uniform sweater, her eyes sparkled with playfulness.

"Ah, Naoko-chan – this is Kinomoto Sakura and Otori Harumi. And yes, we are going to the movies tonight," Chiharu told her.

Naoko smiled at us, and bowed. "I'm Yanagisawa Naoko, it's nice to meet you."

I did a little bow back, and I saw Harumi do the same. Then Naoko waved and walked swiftly over to another table, occupied by two other girls.

I turned my attention back to Rika and Chiharu. "So…who's Tomoyo?"

"Tomoyo is, as you would say, the 'leader' of our little group," Rika told us.

I cocked an eyebrow. Did I accidentally get involved with snobby 'popular' people?

"She's beautiful, yes. But she keeps to herself. She only hangs out with her closest friends, the people she trusts…which would be us," Chiharu pointed to herself and Rika, "and them." Now she pointed her slim finger over to the table that Naoko had gone to.

I looked at the table that I had dismissed earlier more carefully this time. Now with three bodies, I passed over the one I knew was Naoko, looking at the other two. They both had long, dark hair. One was more tan, her long hair straightened to perfection. She had sharp bronze eyes. The other…her long, raven hair fell in slight curls down her back and over her shoulders. Her complexion was lighter, but seemingly flawless. She had deep amethyst eyes that seemed to catch everything going on around her.

I looked over at Chiharu. While she wasn't stunningly beautiful, she was more energetic and happy. And Naoko was the cute type that you always just wanted to run over and hug.

I nearly covered my eyes, the five girls' beauty was so blinding. They were like a team of vampires, ready to move the Cullens off their throne.

Now I was curious to see what they were like. Were they ice queens, or warm muffins? Well, three out of five were muffins, I guess.

"Would you like to go talk to them?" Chiharu asked, seeing the wonder in my eyes.

"Oh…no! No, I don't want to disturb them or anything," I lied, smiling as I shook my head lightly.

Conversation started again at our table. But every time I looked Chiharu's way, she was smiling at me with mischievous eyes. I decided not to ask her about it; I had a feeling I'd find out what she was planning soon enough.

* * *

**Heheh~I hope you liked it, even if it was short, filler-ish and kind of bad. :3 I hope you'll review (if you're allowed)!! Thanks for reviewing! (Yes, no review replies this time either…I'll just say THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed last time. And to Enigma Infinite – I'm glad you saw improvement!)**


	5. Groceries

**Multiple Personalities**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**Groceries**

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**Wow, I'm sorry for the wait for this chapter…and I don't know if it's that good…but I have everything planned out for the next few chapters, so hopefully it'll get a lot better from here on out. ;) Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You make me so happy. ^^ (Please remember to REVIEW. When I say REVIEW, I mean REVIEW, not alert and favourite. O_O Please? :3 I love reviews. I know you do too ;D) Eheheh ~ thanks anyways, everyone! Also, sorry for allignment screw ups. :( I really hate document manager sometimes.**

* * *

I walked into the house, dropping my bag on the floor. It'd been almost two weeks since school started now. My social life was showing many signs of improvement.

"Hello! Anybody home?" I called when no one came rushing to the door.

I marched over to the kitchen, where I found a note on the fridge door. I tore it off, scanning the paper.

"Hey, Syaoran," I said as he entered the room. I waved the note in the air. "We have to go grocery shopping. Yelan-san, Dad, Toya and all of your sisters are out…" I giggled. "Toya went to bond with his four fiancées."

"Oh, God," Syaoran mumbled. "Wonder if he'll survive."

I've always hated grocery stores. I dunno. They've just never really stricken me as fun. I sighed as Syaoran popped a quarter into one of the carts and detached it.

"Here, woman," he said, rolling the buggy over to me. "This is you're job."

I stared at him, bewildered. Did he really just say that to me?

"Excuse me?" I sputtered. "How completely **ignorant **and **sexist **can you _get?!" _

He glared at me. "What, you think I do the grocery shopping in my house? You should have some idea of what to get, don't you?"

One time, on TV, I saw a program on anger management. It said that if you ever got really angry to count to ten to try and calm down. I never get **that **angry, though.

"Hurry _up, _woman!"

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

I angrily shoved the cart forward, biting back a rather **rude **remark. Counting to ten wouldn't help right then, it would seem.

We walked down some aisles, and I would occasionally pick some things off the shelves that were on the list and toss them into the cart. Syaoran just walked slowly and silently behind me. It was a little weird. It felt like he was watching me or something.

I turned around, frowning. He blinked, surprised. "Do you think you could help a little, **your highness**?" I spat.

He frowned back at me. After a moment, he said, "Fine. What do you want?"

I scanned the list. "Go to the freezer section and pick out…" I read him part of list, and he sauntered away, looking slightly confused.

I started walking again, grumbling, "Stupid little…why do we suddenly have to go grocery shopping, anyway?"

I accidentally bumped into a man standing in the aisle. I quickly straightened and bowed. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going!"

The man laughed. "It's quite all right." I studied him quickly; he had greying hair and light wrinkles around his eyes, which sparkled. He was well built and well dressed, to boot. He looked me over once, then held out his hand. Surprised, I took it. He smiled. "My name is Xie Shanyuan. May I ask yours?"

"Uhh…" Who knew old men could be so charming? "M-my name is Kinomoto Sakura. Pleased to meet you…"

"The pleasure's all mine."

"Oi, Sakura!"

I rolled my eyes and turned to Syaoran, who was holding up two different kinds of meats, looking utterly confused. I giggled at his expression; it was a little cute.

…

You didn't hear that.

Hear what?

"That one, idiot," I called, pointing to the one on the left. He nodded and carelessly dropped the other one back onto the shelf. He ran over to me with an armful of groceries, frowning.

"You could've given me a basket or something," he said, throwing everything into the cart.

I held up my hands. "Does it _look _like I have an extra basket for you?"

He glared at me and mumbled, "Stupid woman…" before turning to Shanyuan, bowing, and grabbing the cart. "I'll go pay. You keep flirting with Grandpa."

I blushed as he chuckled to himself. I hastily grabbed a packet of candy sprinkles and chucked it at the back of his head.

I turned my attention back to Shanyuan. "Sorry about that…he's kind of an idiot…"

Shanyuan laughed heartily. "It's all right, Kinomoto-san, don't worry." He glanced back at Syaoran for a moment. "Say…that was Li Syaoran, wasn't it?"

I cocked an eyebrow, nodding.

"You're close with him?" he inquired. "Married, even?"

I flushed and shook my head vigorously. "No, no! I would **not **get married to that guy."

He smiled. "I see." He grasped his cart again, and bowed to me. "Well, it was very nice meeting you, Kinomoto-san. I hope we'll meet again."

I smiled, nodding.

_Huh, _I thought as he walked away, _that was a little weird…but he seems nice enough. _I shrugged and dashed off to the cash register.

I spotted Syaoran and butted several people in line to get to him. He was talking animatedly with a surprised looking cashier. I tapped his shoulder. "Syaoran…?"

He looked at me, his eyes wide and shining. He put his arm around me. "And this is my future wife! I just know we're gonna be so happy together! I plan to get married before we have children, but we'll get married sooner if she gets pregnant before!"

I flushed a **very** deep crimson as Syaoran babbled on. I dug my nails into his arm, hoping to reverse the transformation.

His arm snaked around my waist, and his breath was suddenly on my face. "You look very nice today, Sakura," he whispered into my ear, his other hand traveling down my back.

_Oh my God! _

I straightened up and slapped him; that seemed to bring back his normal self. He quickly leapt away from me and threw his credit card at the clerk. His face was cherry red as he tried to hide it from the crowd that had gathered. I couldn't help laughing at him.

As soon as he got his card back, he ran back to the car as fast as he could. I apologized to the cashier and chased after him.

"Well, you're an idiot," I breathed as I strapped myself in.

He groaned. "Why does it have to be me?"

I blinked, remembering the man. "Hey, do you know anyone named Xie Shanyuan?"

He pondered for a moment, but shook his head.

* * *

"You must wear this at all times, Miss Sakura," Wei instructed, handing me a necklace. It was a little pink key with wings on it.

"Why? What does it do?" I asked, unfastening it.

"It will tell either Master Syaoran or myself your whereabouts, as well as work as a communication device. Press the right wing once to contact Master Syaoran, and twice for myself. Press the left wing and the tracker will save your location. It can be connected to the computer and—"

"All right, Wei." I cut him off, holding my hand up. "I don't need all the technical stuff. I'm just glad it's cute." I clipped it around my neck.

Wei smiled. "I'm glad you like it. Don't feel scared, though, it's just in case somebody is after the Li family. Just a precaution."

I smiled back at him reassuringly. "It's fine, Wei, I'm not worried." Wei was really the best butler anyone could ask for. His loyalty astounds me, as does his genuine concern for everyone in the household's health and such.

However, Shanyuan was still on my mind. How did he know Syaoran…? "Wei, do you know who Xie Shanyuan is?"

A shadow fell over the butler's face. "You needn't bother yourself with the likes of him, Miss Sakura."

Startled by his reaction, I replied, "Oh. Okay." Maybe he was just paparazzi or something? Come on, he seemed like a nice guy...

I sighed. Wei was right—I shouldn't bother myself with the likes of a man I'll probably never see again.

* * *

The next day at school, I met a **really **cute guy. His name's Takada Yuusuke, and he has brown eyes and brown hair that looks really, reallysoft. I bumped into him and we ended up talking for a while. He was funny, and I think we were both in high flirt mode.

I giggled to myself as I thought about him after school. Syaoran gave me a weird look, but looked away quickly, shaking his head. A few minutes later, he shook his head again.

I glanced over to him. "…Are you okay?"

"Fine," he grunted, once again shaking his head. I frowned and stuck my hand up to his forehead. I gasped; he was burning up!

"Oh my God, Syaoran!" I exclaimed. He groaned and threw the door open. As soon as he could, he ran up the stairs. I heard his door shut.

I looked around for somebody, but no one was home. I rolled my eyes. At least we didn't have to go grocery shopping again. I tried to sit down and watch TV, but Syaoran's fever was bothering me. So I sighed and flicked the TV off.

I knocked on his door, and when there was no answer, I let myself in. He was lying face down on his bed. "Hey, Syaoran," I whispered, not sure if he was sleeping.

"Hmuh." His response was muffled by the pillow.

I quickly stalked over to the bathroom and wet a facecloth with cold water, grabbed the thermometer and went back to Syaoran's room. I rolled him over and stuck the thermometer into his mouth. It beeped after a second; he had a fever of 40.3 degrees!

I sighed and placed my hands on my hips. After a moment of studying him, I shook my head and left the room.

A few minutes later, I went back and surprised him with a bowl of chicken noodle soup. I brought it up on a tray along with some Tylenol and a glass of water and set it down on his lap. He blinked at me, his mouth open slightly. A light pink blush spread across my cheeks, and I shoved him the medicine. As I turned around to leave, confused with why I was blushing and trying to make it go away, he reached out and grabbed my shirt.

I turned around, my eyes wide. "Uh…"

"Please don't go," Syaoran whimpered, his eyes now big and glistening. "Stay with me, please."

"Oh, uh, okay…" I said, slowly grabbing a chair and pushing a lock of hair behind my ear hastily. He had changed personalities really quick; I'd almost thought it was the normal him asking me to stay at first.

He ate the soup delicately, his eyes shining. The way he was sitting made him look very fragile. It was really weird, being as he always tried his hardest to be so manly all the time. I giggled to myself, making a mental note to make fun of him about it later.

After a while, he fell asleep. His face was angelic and innocent, and I was taken aback by how something so ugly and horrid when conscious could be so beautiful when asleep.

Again, I found the blood pooling at my cheeks as I watched him. I couldn't fight the urge to brush the hair away from his eyes. (It was soft…) But then I dashed out quickly, pushing the thoughts away.

* * *

A few hours later, Syaoran came downstairs. I had been checking on him periodically, and he had been asleep the whole time. He was still a little wobbly on his feet, but he was recovering well enough.

Gently, he sat down on the couch, rubbing his eyes. A smile played on my lips.

After a small awkward silence, he said, "Thanks…for the soup. And, uhm…for staying with me…the, er, sensitive personality really likes you…"

The corners of my lips curved into a smile. "No problem. I like him too. It's too bad he has to share your face, or I would like him so much more."

"Stupid woman," he breathed.

"Remind me next time not to take care of you, then, Macho Man," I snapped, frowning. But then I noticed he was smiling.

* * *

**Myeheh ~ I really hope you liked it! ;) Worked long and hard on it, kiddies, so I hope you'll drop me a review!!!! (Even though I have no right to call anyone kiddie being as I'm only 13 myself XD) Thanks for reading and reviewing!!! (also, the sensitive personality is the same as the crybaby in case anyone was wondering ;D It's not a new one. The final one is yet to come...:D)**


	6. A Date Gone Wrong

**Multiple Personalities**

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**Chapter 6**

**A Date Gone Wrong**

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**Hey, guys, I'm really sorry for the update wait. I've been busy and such, the usual excuses. ;D But anyways, I hope this jam-packed chapter will make it up to you. :) I really hate the first chapter, just saying, and I like this chapter a lot. I like the way I wrote the last, say, three chapters, but I hated the first two chapters for sure. D: Jus thought I'd say that, so…yeah. :D Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing, and have a happy Easter!**

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I took a deep breath, smiling. My heart was pounding as I went through some nice clothes. I settled on jean capris, and a black t-shirt with a white cardigan. I brushed my hair, failing to hide my excitement as I grinned to the mirror.

Syaoran stopped at my door, leaning against the frame with an eyebrow raised. "And exactly what are you getting all giddy about?" he asked skeptically.

I glared at him briefly before turning back to the mirror. "**I **have a date with Takada-kun."

His eyes widened in surprise. "**You **have a _date_?!" he exclaimed, letting his jaw drop in his faux surprise.

Again, I glared at him. I grabbed my little shoulder bag and slung it over my arm, pushing past Syaoran on my way downstairs. He followed me.

"Yes, in fact, I do have a date," I snapped. "And don't worry, he's better looking than you." I snatched one last glance in the mirror by the door before slamming it behind me.

We agreed to meet at the Café de la Gateau. (That means Cake Café in French ;D) I got to it quickly enough—maybe a bit too quickly. I was about ten minutes early. Still, I skipped a step on the stone porch leading up to the door in my excitement.

A bell rang when I entered, and I looked around. It was a nice place; not too big, not too small. It was painted with warm brown and gold colours, creating an even more relaxed atmosphere.

I was studying the menu when someone bumped into me. I was about to hiss a rude retort, but I realized I knew the man. I smiled. "Xie-san!"

Shanyuan blinked in surprise, but grinned when he recognized me. "Kinomoto-san! How nice to see you again."

I nodded. "So how have you been?"

"Just fine, thank you." He looked around. "Are you here alone?"

A light blush spread across my cheeks. "I'm waiting for my date, actually."

He chuckled. "With that Li Syaoran, I presume?"

The blush got darker, and my eyebrows creased. "Certainly not. I'm going out with someone way better than Syaoran."

Shanyuan chuckled again, louder this time. "You kids are so amusing."

I briefly remembered Wei's reaction to Shanyuan's name. He'd told me not to bother myself with the likes of him…

I couldn't figure out how Shanyuan could be such a bad guy. He seemed like a perfectly nice man. I told myself that he was probably just paparazzi, like I did before—I mean, after now, it'd be weird to run into him _again…_But I couldn't really bring myself to believe it.

I didn't need to think about it anymore, because then the bell rung and my eyes flicked to the door, where I saw Yuusuke looking around for me. He spotted me, waved, and walked over to me.

"Hey, Kinomoto-chan," he greeted. He held his hand out to Shanyuan. "And who's this?"

"Takada-kun, this is Xie Shanyuan," I said as the two men shook hands. "Xie-san, this is Takada Yuusuke. _This _is my date," I said pointedly.

"Nice to meet you, Takada-kun," he said to Yuusuke, and then he turned to me. "And you can call me Shanyuan."

Yuusuke smiled at me. "And you can call **me **Yuusuke…Sakura-chan."

I bit my lip, trying to hide a smile, and grasped Yuusuke's hand. Shanyuan laughed. "Well, then, I should be going now. I don't want to intrude. Bye, Sakura-chan." He winked at me, and I grinned back.

Yuusuke and I sat down at a booth, and ordered what we wanted. I got an iced cappuccino, and Yuusuke got an espresso.

"Our first date and you're cheating on me already?" he asked, winking and flashing a smile. "I never took you for a gold digger."

I giggled. "Oh, definitely, you couldn't satisfy me if you tried."

"We'll have to test that notion, now won't we?" he chuckled, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

We both laughed, and after some more sips of our drinks, we started talking about school, and all the latest 'drama'. But after another silence of drink drinking, he brought up a different subject.

"So…what are all these rumours going around that you and Li are dating? Engaged, even?" he asked, frowning slightly.

I fiddled with my straw, twirling it between my fingers. A light, pink blush sprinkled across my cheeks. I hated this subject. I tried my hardest to come up with the right words to describe it. "We're certainly not dating, I can tell you that much right off the bat," I started, sticking my tongue out in disgust. Yuusuke smiled at that. "And the whole fiancé thing…that was our parent's idea." I shook my head. "We're not actually engaged. If we were, I'd have killed myself already."

Yuusuke's smile got wider, and amusement glittered in his eyes. "That's a bit extreme, isn't it?"

I shook my head. "No way, not with that jerk."

"A lot of the girl's at school think he's some kind of gorgeous god, sent from the heavens." He gestured upwards.

"Not a chance. While he may look…_good_," I stressed, frowning at the lack of insults to his looks, "he's an idiot. A complete retard. He's really abusive, in every way!"

Yuusuke let out a blurt of laughter. "How cruel; he hits you, too!"

A smile tugged at my lips. "Yep, he's really rude and gets drunk every night, comes home, gets mad and just clocks me. Right in the face." I pointed at my nose, the smile breaking through. I knew it would be better if I didn't say anything about the other personalities. Obviously.

For an instant, I wondered if Syaoran had fully recovered from his sickness. He seemed to be fine, but who knows, since he's always trying to act all tough and manly. He's not as fun when he's sick.

I blinked, surprised at where my thoughts were heading. I mentally kicked myself and shook my head, ridding myself of those horrible thoughts…!

I realized we were both finished with our drinks.

"You wanna head over to a movie?" he asked, motioning to the waiter for the bill. I nodded, and we walked to the theatre. We watched a romantic comedy, of course. Enough romance, and enough comedy. That sucked up an hour and forty-five minutes, and by the time we got to the park, the sun was starting to get low.

We walked hand in hand, talking and laughing. We came across a bench, and sat down in it. I glanced around; the park was totally deserted. He put his arm around my shoulder, and I leaned onto him. I could feel his muscles, but I knew instantly that he was scrawnier than Syaoran.

His hand slithered around my waist, and I looked up. In a flash, his lips were pressed against mine. One hand inched towards my chest, sliding up my shirt. The other was fumbling with my jeans. Surprised, I gasped for breath. I tried to push him away, but he overpowered me.

"Hey, stop…Yuusuke-kun!" I gasped. He pushed me back onto the bench, pinning me down. His hand was snaking into my pants, popping the button open. My face was heating up, and I kept trying to push him off, but he was stronger than me, and on top of me. His tongue slithered into my mouth, and he nibbled on my lip. "Stop…!"

Suddenly, all the weight was lifted off of me. I breathed in deeply, raggedly, still shocked by Yuusuke's actions. I looked over to see what had happened.

Syaoran was gripping Yuusuke's collar, his knuckles white. His face was shoved close to the other boy's face, making him more intimidating. His expression spelled death, his amber eyes slits as they glared at their victim.

"She said stop," he growled through grit teeth.

Yuusuke was gripping Syaoran's forearms, as if he was loosening the Chinese boy's grip. He wasn't.

He stuttered out a response, and I wasn't able to decipher it. Syaoran let go of Yuusuke's shirt, now wrinkled and seemingly stuck in the position of Syaoran's fisted hands. Then he pulled his fist back and launched it directly into Yuusuke's nose. There was a sickening crunch, and when Syaoran withdrew his hand it was stained with blood. Yuusuke took in a staggered breath, and reached up to his nose. His frightened gaze met Syaoran's furious one, and he spun on his heel and ran as fast as his legs would take him.

Syaoran turned to me, his eyes no longer angry. He walked over and helped me stand up. I breathed in deeply again, more evenly this time. My stomach was exposed, and I pulled my shirt down hastily.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly as I buttoned my jeans up again. Only as I looked up at him did I realize there were tears in my eyes. I threw my arms around his neck and buried my face in his chest, letting the tears fall. After a slight hesitation, he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Thank you," I murmured.

"No problem," he whispered back, putting one hand on my head and stroking my hair comfortingly.

* * *

The next morning, I left for school earlier than usual. It would have been too embarrassing to see Syaoran, and I didn't know what I would say to him. My cheeks were still burning from last night's events, and I slapped them gingerly in attempt to stop the blush.

It seemed strange, now, walking to school alone. It had become a habit, a routine, to walk with Syaoran and bicker all the way there. It was fun, even if he was really annoying.

When I got to the school, there was almost no one there. I thought maybe I'd sit down in the grass and read a book, but everything was still wet and dewy. So instead I started over to the doors, hoping I could sneak in early and do something, not wanting to stand outside all alone.

I pulled on the door gently, but instead of slowly and heavily moving, it swung open and hit me in the face. I staggered backwards, stunned. When I gathered myself again, I rubbed my forehead and looked to see who it was that had hit me. I gasped when I saw Tomoyo, wide eyed, cupping one hand over her mouth while the other rested on the door handle.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry, Kinomoto-san, I didn't see you! Are you all right?" she burst out, concern creasing her beautiful features.

"Ah…D-Daidouji-san, it's fine, I'm okay," I told her, smiling reassuringly.

"I'm really sorry," she said again. "Here, lets go to the infirmary. You should probably ice that if you don't want to have a huge bump."

I nodded. "Right." She opened the door for me, and we both let out short giggles.

Walking down the hall with Tomoyo, I felt like an ugly rat. She shone with radiance, and her beauty seemed to light her aglow. Her long, dark hair bounced with every step, and her amethyst gaze was soft. I still didn't know what to really think of the girl. She seemed nice enough, but she **had **hit me with a door. Maybe it was just out of courtesy, guilt?

I dared to look over at her, only to find she was staring back at me. Her eyes were interested, impressed. I blinked, confused, and opened my mouth to say something, but she cut me off.

"I find you very interesting, Kinomoto-san," she said. "You seem like a very good person."

"Th-thank you," I stammered, taken aback.

Tomoyo smiled, and it turned into a giggle. "And what's going on with all of these rumours going around about you and Li Syaoran? Are you two actually engaged?"

I sighed. This seemed to be the most frequently asked question.

Tomoyo gasped sharply. "Oh, I'm sorry—I didn't mean to intrude with such a personal question, that was very rude of me."

A smile crept onto my face. Tomoyo was making out to be a **very **nice person.

I shook my head lightly. "You weren't being rude, don't worry. And you weren't intruding, either. _Technically, _we're engaged, but it's all our parents' doing. I don't even like—him…" I trailed off, the night before flooding my mind. He had really come to my rescue, and I was very grateful for that. I thought he hated me, and I hated him. But…did I really? Did _he _really?

I shook away the thoughts, my cheeks turning a light shade of pink. Either way, I didn't like him _that _much—not enough to proudly declare that we're engaged.

"I see," Tomoyo sighed. "I understand."

I stared at her, my eyes wide. "You do?"

She nodded. "My mother is always trying to set me up with guys. Blind dates, online dating, an omiai every once in a while, even locking us in a closet." Again, she sighed. "But love can't be forced, and my mother doesn't seem to understand that."

We were at the infirmary now; I slid open the door, and the nurse, Takarada-sensei, looked up, surprised that she had a visitor so early in the morning.

"Good morning, Takarada-sensei," Tomoyo bowed. "Uhm, Kinomoto-san here…I accidentally hit her in the head…with a door."

The nurse let out a giggle, then went off to get me an ice pack. I was going to say something to Tomoyo, but just then the door slid open again.

"Harumi-chan," I said, surprised.

"Sakura-chan! Are you all right? Chiharu told me you went to the infirmary—what happened?" she asked, her voice rushed. She glanced at Tomoyo, who seemed to be glaring at her.

"Oh, well…I got hit by the door," I explained. "We came to get some ice."

Tomoyo brushed past Harumi to the door. "Well, then, Kinomoto-san…it was nice talking to you. I hope the ice will help, and I apologize again." With one last sharp glare at Harumi, the door slid open and shut, and she was gone.

As the nurse came back with the ice, I wondered why Tomoyo didn't seem to like Harumi…

* * *

During fourth period, Syaoran came over to my desk. "I won't be walking home with you. I have soccer practice after school today."

I nodded. "All right."

After an awkward silence, he coughed and turned around to leave. I felt like I needed to say something…so I did.

"I…have fun—Syaoran…" I stammered after him.

He turned around, looking a little surprised. He started walking back over to me, and only then did I realize I had startled him into another personality. He took my hand and kissed it, and then sat on my lap, facing me. My cheeks were starting to heat up as his face got closer to mine. I knew everyone was watching, and it wasn't helping our denial of engagement.

"Thank you…I will," he murmured.

I abruptly scooted back in my chair, and he fell off, whacking his head on the desk. He twitched, and then sat up quickly, holding his head.

"Ouch, woman, what was that for?!" he yelled.

* * *

When school had ended, I was heading home quicker than normal. Since I didn't have to wait for Syaoran, I could just go on home.

I turned on my iPod, and put in my green earbuds. I turned the music up fairly loud, blasting The Ting Tings' "That's Not My Name." It gives me great pleasure to listen to English music.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a black van driving slowly up the road, like it was crawling. I thought it was pretty weird, but dismissed it.

I walked a few more steps before the van stopped. Frowning, I quickened my pace. I knew I was being a little paranoid, but it doesn't hurt to be safe, right?

Well, it didn't matter whether I walked faster or not, because a large man came up from behind me and grabbed me, covering my mouth. Another ran around in front as I struggled, and as one man took his hand away from my face, the other shoved a cloth against it. I soon fell into a swirling blackness.

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**Les gasp! :O What's happening to Sakura?! Review if you don't want her to die!!!!! Have I mentioned how much I hate Document Managers before????**


	7. Kidnap and Gunshot

**Multiple Personalities **

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**Chapter 7 **

**Kidnap and Gunshot**

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**:)**** Back again, with another chapter! I hope I didn't take too long this time? Heheh ~ now you can finally find out what happened to Sakura! I hope you like it! I liked the first half of the chapter, but then the second half to me was myeh. So I'm desperately hoping you'll like it!!! ^^ Thank you so much to everyone who's been reviewing, I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! :) Please keep reviewing, cuz I need 'em! ;D (Oh yeah.....again with teh rant on teh Document Manager. :) Ohh, how you frrruuussttraatteee meeee.....ohhh, how I haaattee yooouuu.....)**

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My eyelids fluttered open, and I looked around groggily. The room was blurry and seemed to be spinning. It was dark, and I realized I was sitting in a chair…something was squishing my arms, giving them pins and needles…

I heard voices. Faintly at first, but then they started getting louder, along with footsteps that echoed coldly around the area. The room was starting to spin slower, and I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, waiting for the dizzy feeling to stop. When I was finally able to open them again, I was shocked to discover I was bound to a chair by taut ropes, in a small, damp room. There wasn't much light, only a single, bare light bulb swinging lightly above my head. I was strongly reminded of Mafia movies and the like…

Everything that had happened came flooding back to me. The black van, the men, the struggle…

My heart started to pound faster as the panic set in. I was finally realizing that I had been _kidnapped. _But who would want to kidnap _me_?! The blood pounded in my ears as I scanned the room more carefully. Mold was growing on the walls, and a forgotten mop lay rotting on the floor. I came to the conclusion that it must have been a janitor's closet or something of the like in an abandoned building.

I remembered hearing somewhere that an old building was being torn down and turned into a condo. That must have been where I was…

I was snapped out of my thoughts when the voices started again and the half-open door swung open. A man maybe in his thirties stepped in, still babbling away.

"So you're sure this will bring Li down?" he was saying, worry evident in his features. "He'll give us all of his assets for this one girl?"

"I'm positive," another voice drawled, sounding bored yet slightly excited at the same time. This voice sounded oddly familiar. "Li Syaoran would give up _everything _for this hag." I frowned, half at the fact that this idiot thought Syaoran would risk _anything _for my sake, and half at that last hag comment. "There's an obvious _love _budding up here." He spat the word 'love' like it was poisonous. I nearly gagged; how could any _possible _observations of Syaoran and I lead to a deduction like that?!

Finally, the second man stepped into the room and I let out a strangled gasp.

He smiled at me, putting his hands in his suit pockets. "Hello again, Sakura-chan."

"Shanyuan-san!" I choked, bewildered.

Shanyuan laughed, a cold hollowness added into the hearty sound that I had heard before.

"What're you—why're you—" I spluttered.

"Shut up," he sighed, thought it had a sharp edge. "You need not speak. You are only here as our hostage." He smiled again, a twisted smile. "Li Syaoran would simply _die _if anything bad happened to you, like, say, if _you _died!" He chuckled again, a steely glint in his eyes. "But no one will be harmed if he hands his company over to us…"

My head was spinning again. "But—he doesn't even have control over the company yet—"

"But his father, even his mother, would take pity on him. On you, too." His malicious grin widened. "And then I'll be rich."

I opened my mouth to say something again, but Shanyuan stepped forward and leaned over in front of me. He stuffed his hand in my pocket and pulled out my cell phone.

"Can't have you calling anybody for help, now, can we? That would ruin the plan." He whirled around on his heel, chuckling coldly again as he walked out of the room, the younger man following behind closely. With a slam of the door, I was alone in the room again.

Outside, I heard them talking.

"I honestly can't wait to work with you, sir. When Li hands the company over to us, we'll be—"

"We?" Shanyuan echoed. He chuckled, and I could picture him shaking his head. "I think not."

There was a loud bang that I knew immediately was a gunshot, and a thump.

Shanyuan had killed the other man.

I felt tears welling up in my eyes as I stared helplessly at the chipped wooden door. Then I dragged my eyes away from it, to look down at the floor, trying not to think of what had just happened.

"What do I do now?" I asked, though no one was there to listen. I tried to wiggle out of the ropes, but they were too tight. I leaned over as far as I could to see if I had any chance of snapping the bindings. As I bent forward, I heard a jingling sound and something tugged at my neck. I glanced down and saw the pink charm with white wings dangling; the necklace Wei had given me!

A surge of hope flooded through me, and then it died painfully when I realized I had no way of getting to the pendant. I studied the chain, and then bit it. I dragged it over my shoulder until the charm reached it. Then I craned my neck to hit the right wing once.

There was a loud beeping noise, and after a moment, a second one.

"_Uh—hello?" _

"Syaoran!" I nearly shrieked.

"_Sakura?! Where are you? What happened?" _

"I—I was kidnapped! On the way home from school!" I explained hurriedly. The tears were back, and threatening to spill over. I had **never **been so happy to hear Syaoran's voice!

_"What!?" he gasped. "Who—"_

"Shanyuan! Xie Shanyuan! The old guy from the grocery store!" I cried, cutting him off. "I'm—I'm that old abandoned building that they're gonna tear down soon! He—he wants to make you hand over the Li company to him, or else he'll—"

"_Shh, Sakura," he whispered. "Calm down. Take a deep breath."_

I paused, but did as he said and took in a long, shaky breath, then exhaled slowly.

"_Send me your exact coordinates using the Clow necklace," he instructed. _

The Clow necklace? So that's what it was called.

With a struggle, I pressed the left wing.

"Done!" I sighed.

"…_He plans to kill you if I don't hand over the company?"_

I managed to choke out a laugh. "Yeah, pretty stupid, huh? Like you'd do that just for me."

On the other end of the…necklace, Syaoran chuckled.

"_I'll be there soon, Sakura. Don't worry."_

Five minutes later, Shanyuan crept back into the room, smiling.

"I've notified dear Syaoran. He's agreed to pay the ransom of everything he owns. Just for you." He let out a chortle. "Feels good, making your boyfriend throw away everything he's ever had, and ever _will _have, for your sake, doesn't it?"

I stared at him in horror. Syaoran couldn't have actually agreed to that…could he?

Another five minutes passed, my head swirling. Finally, I heard a lot of noise outside, and Shanyuan burst into the room, a manic smile spread across his face. He grabbed my arm tightly and dragged me out after him, over the body, down the hall and down the stairs, to the hallway just by the front entrance. He reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a gun. I felt the gun press against my temple, and I was suddenly aware of every heartbeat, the blood pulsing through the vein.

"COME!" he shrieked; spittle was flying everywhere. "COME WITH THE LEGAL PAPERS, LI!"

After a moment, I heard the creak of the door, and then footsteps. Calm, level footsteps. Seconds later, Syaoran turned the corner and into the hallway, his face a cold mask as he stared right at us. I let out an involuntary whimper, and his eyes flicked to mine for a fleeting second.

"THE PAPERS!"

I was starting to think, or more like realize, that Shanyuan couldn't have been completely sane.

Syaoran stepped forward, walking very slowly, his eyes never leaving Shanyuan's face. When he stood in front of us, he stared at Shanyuan for a few moments, and he looked almost intimidating.

Syaoran raised his arm, handing the papers over to the Chinese man. As he grasped the papers, I noticed what they said. In big, capitalized, bold letters, read **"F**K YOU!" **

Shanyuan screamed with rage, and in a flash, Syaoran whirled around with a roundhouse kick, hitting Shanyuan on the side of the head. Startled, he fell back, and the gun fired at the ceiling. Syaoran reached out and pulled me over to him, holding me against him with a protective arm. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his own gun. He raised it to Shanyuan, who had recovered and was standing, back on his now wobbly legs.

Suddenly, he threw his arm up and four loud bangs exploded from the gun. I shrieked, and Syaoran leapt to the side, jumping out of the hallway and near the front door.

Syaoran whistled loudly, and armored men crashed through the entranceway. Their uniforms read 'POLICE' and they carried huge guns. A group of them ran over to Shanyuan, crowding around him, and a couple more gunshots could be heard.

Syaoran looked at me, his amber eyes smoldering. "You're all right, Sakura?"

I opened my mouth, but closed it again because my lips were trembling too much. Instead of speaking, I nodded. He smiled, and his face seemed brighter. Then he carefully stood up with me, and the four Li sisters came running over. I noticed Syaoran slip away as the sisters glomped me. I must have had to say that I was fine at least a hundred times before they would stop asking, their questions jumbling together as they fussed loudly, all at the same time.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash and another gunshot. I whipped around, and saw Syaoran struggling on the ground with Shanyuan. At first, Shanyuan had him pinned down. But then Syaoran flipped it around, so he was on top of the older man. He pressed his knee down on his chest, and a cop handed him handcuffs. It looked like he was winning—but then Shanyuan punched him in face and shoved him off. He scrambled to his feet, and Syaoran held his bleeding nose, momentarily stunned. It was then that I noticed Syaoran's thigh was bleeding heavily; it looked like he was getting dizzy from blood loss. Shanyuan stumbled over to him, pushing away the officers that charged at him. For an older man, Shanyuan was very strong. He bent down when he reached Syaoran and grabbed his wrist, but suddenly Syaoran was holding a knife—or more like a dagger—and jabbed it at the man's throat. I closed my eyes and clenched my teeth, thinking _No Syaoran! Don't kill him! _

After a moment of pure, eerie silence, I opened my eyes again. Syaoran hadn't stabbed Shanyuan. He only held the dagger at his throat, threatening with the gesture—and with his eyes, a piercing glare that had Shanyuan frozen. The police ran up behind him and cuffed him before he could pull anything else. They took him outside, where he shrieked, frustrated. One man shoved him into the back of the van and they drove off.

I looked back at Syaoran, to find he had crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

We waited in the waiting room. Naturally. Yelan, Feimei, Fanren, Shiefa, Fuutie, Dad, Toya and me. It hadn't got out to anyone else that Syaoran was in the hospital, possibly in critical condition.

After three hours, the doctor came out. I jumped up, but he said they'd have to keep Syaoran overnight, and my heart sank.

On the way home from the hospital, nobody said anything. There was an air of depression and worry filling the space.

When we got home, I quickly ran up to my room and crawled into bed. I wasn't at all worried about myself; Shanyuan hadn't managed to do anything to me. And I wasn't so affected by it that I'd have mental trauma. I was only worried about **Syaoran. **

I felt that it was my fault that he'd gotten hurt. If I hadn't gotten kidnapped, then he wouldn't have had to save me, and he wouldn't have had to get shot in the leg or hurt in a brawl.

I fell into an uneasy sleep after hours of brooding.

* * *

I walked to school alone for the rest of the week, and for the week after that. By then, everyone knew what had happened to me, and what had happened to Syaoran.

Syaoran.

I still hadn't seen him since the day of the incident. I didn't know how he was doing, whether he was okay or not…

I tried to participate in school, and I did my work well enough. It distracted, gave me something else to think about. And when I was talking with my friends, I focused as hard as I could on what everyone was saying so I didn't have to focus on what snooty remark Syaoran might have made, had he not been in the hospital.

"Sakura…" Chiharu said. "Are you in love with Li-kun?"

I blinked, surprised. Then I frowned. "NO."

Rika giggled. "Then why have you been so out of it since he's been away?"

I sighed. "I feel so…guilty. It's my fault he got hurt. Plus…" I shrugged. "I'm worried I won't have anyone to make fun of…"

We all laughed, and the girls' cheery presence made me feel better.

* * *

After school, I sighed as I walked into an empty house once again. I kicked off my shoes, threw my bag in the corner and dropped my keys on the table. It was just gonna be another boring night.

I went to the fridge to pour myself some juice, and when I closed the door I gasped.

Syaoran leaned against the wall of the kitchen, grinning. I stared, wide-eyed, at him for a few moments.

His grin widened and he laughed. Then he stood up straight and held out his arms.

"Come on, you stupid woman," he laughed, and I ran over to him and flung my arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and we stayed like that for a few minutes…maybe several. I didn't know. But after a while, I pulled away, and looked up at him. Simultaneously, our faces flushed and we each took a step away from each other.

"So…how are you, then?" I asked, glancing down at his leg.

"I'm fine now. The bullet didn't break any bones, and it was easy to patch me up. Granted, my leg still hurts, but I'm sure not crippled," he explained, patting his hips to avoid patting his actual thigh, where the wound was.

"And your nose? Shanyuan hit you."

He smirked a little. "Nothing could harm this gorgeous angel's face."

I rolled my eyes, but smiled. "God, I hate you."

* * *

**Hmm ~ I don't know if I liked the end of this chapter? I hope you did though…and no, that wasn't a total 'I love you' moment. They don't like each other _that_ much…yet. ;D And some history about Shanyuan will be revealed next chapter from…bum-bum-bum…WEI! :D Yay! Heheh ~ please remember to review, everyone! ;D**


	8. House Party

**Multiple Personalities**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**House Party**

* * *

**I know, I'm such a horrible person. :S I'm so sorry, it's been forever since I updated. I guess you could say I lost the will to write for a while, heheh…I'm hoping you'll all like this chapter though. –Hopeful Smile- Please forgive me. With summer, I will either have a lot of time to write or no time. Hopefully I'll have enough time of both. :P Please review, and thank you for reading everyone!**

* * *

The stairs creaked faintly as I stepped down to the kitchen. I was surprised to see Toya sitting at the high table, staring intently at his laptop, his brows pulled together in frustration.

"Hey," I greeted, walking over to him. "What's up…?"

He looked up at me, breaking out of his trance. It took him a moment to collect his thoughts, and even then he seemed out of it. "Ah…I know I have to pick one of the girls…but which one do I pick? Fuutie? Shiefa? Feimei? Or Fanren…?"

I grabbed a soda from the fridge and sat beside him, glancing at the computer screen. He was looking at each of the girls' Facebook pages. I held back a snort of amusement. "Well, which one do you like best?"

He straightened up, suddenly tense. "I like them all exactly the same."

I cocked an eyebrow, popping the can open. "Are you sure? Which one do you **not **like?"

He turned back to his computer, suddenly typing rapidly. I slapped his shoulder playfully, smirking. "You're an idiot."

With that reaction, I couldn't help but think he favoured one of the girls over the others. I just didn't know which one. I never really saw them around the house, especially with Toya. But he couldn't just keep dawdling forever; he had to move on with her.

I leaned my chin on my hand, my elbow propped up on the marble countertop. Toya was flirty with the girls he didn't care about, but when it came to someone he really did like, well, he tended to stay awkwardly in one place. In other words, he was kind of hopeless.

Hearing footsteps, I looked over my shoulder at the stairs. Dad, followed by Yelan, had descended and was smiling at Toya and I creepily. I could sense that an outrageous plot was forming in his head, and it seemed like Yelan knew exactly what he was thinking.

"So Toya," he started, still smiling weirdly, and Toya shrunk away, also suspicious. "You're having trouble picking one of the girls?"

"…Maybe," my brother replied hesitantly. He was poised like he was ready to jump up and run if he needed to. I didn't blame him.

Dad flashed a grin to Yelan and mouthed something that I didn't quite catch. What I did catch was 'quite rashing' and I knew that wasn't it. Yelan's lips pulled up into a smile, and she nodded. Dad turned back to Toya.

"You guys need some bonding time," he said, winking.

"Uhm," Toya said.

Dad threw his arms out cheerily. "We're going to go on a vacation!" he exclaimed.

My eyes widened, and I exchanged a hesitant glance with Toya.

"Where are we going…?" I asked, frowning. You know something's wrong when you're scared when you're Dad says 'let's go on vacation'…

Dad blinked, and then laughed. "You won't be coming with us Sakura; it can be bonding time for you and Syaoran too. And how better to bond than to be left all alone at the house for a little while?"

I choked on my pop, and Toya had to pat my back to help me stop coughing. My throat burning and my eyes watering, I stared at Dad incredulously. "**What?**_**" **_

Dad grinned and nodded. "You heard right."

"But—"

"Come on now, Sakura, how many dads leave their daughter at home all alone with their boyfriend—willingly?"

I felt colour rise to my cheeks. "He's not my boyfriend."

My dad winked at me. "Sakura, I love you and I trust you. So you have to trust _me._"

I was left speechless as he started back up the stairs.

I turned to Yelan, still not quite sure what to say. "Yelan…"

She was smiling warmly at me. "Don't worry, Sakura. Everything will end up like it's supposed to."

Utterly confused, I slithered upstairs to my bedroom. I hadn't quite made it there yet when I walked into a brick wall.

Oh, sorry, I walked into Syaoran's chest…uhh…

His mouth was hanging open and his eyes were wide. I sighed. "I guess he just told you?"

"I can't believe they'd do that!" he exclaimed, shaking his head.

I smiled crookedly. "I know. But maybe it could work to our advantage…"

He winked at me. "Perhaps a small gathering would be acceptable?"

"Perhaps," I said, and brushed past him to my room.

* * *

I sighed when I saw the note on the table. I knew what it was right away. I plucked it off the tabletop and scanned through it. When I heard Syaoran come in behind me, I called, "It figures they'd leave with just a note telling us where they are."

"They left already?" he asked in surprise.

I nodded and stuck the note to the fridge. It had the address and phone number of where they were staying; a ski resort. I vaguely wondered if Toya would enjoy himself.

When I turned around, Syaoran was already on the phone.

"Hey, Takeshi? Yeah, come to my house tonight…"

* * *

The stereo was blasting Stacy's Mom, and kids from our school were already littered around the main floor of the house; we told them not to go up or downstairs, but I was steeling myself to bust a couple people that were sure to be there if I looked. As I glanced around, I noticed that more and more kids were there that I _didn't _recognize. I bit my lip and looked around, scanning the clusters of people for Syaoran unsuccessfully.

"Hey," a voice that was starting to be familiar chimed from behind me. I turned around, smiling.

"Daidouji-san!" I said.

She glanced around. "Nice party you've got here. I like this song," she added, nodding her head towards the stereo.

I grinned. "So do I. I'm glad you're here. I was kind of starting to feel lonely."

"At a party like this one?" She laughed, and grabbed my hand. "Come on, I see Chiharu and Takashi over there."

Fifteen minutes later, guys surrounded us. Tomoyo flirted equally with them all, and I suspected that they were all there for her and didn't even see me. But some of them were winking at me, and introducing themselves and starting conversation with me. A couple even told me I was cute, which led to a blush.

In the midst of the admirers, I caught a glimpse of chestnut hair that seemed to be staring right at me, and then it disappeared. But I had other things on my mind at that moment.

A while later, I was chatting animatedly with four guys from the original crowd. Tomoyo was close by, talking with what seemed to be a new fan club for her. It must have been exhausting, being beautiful and popular, but still a nice person to top it off.

My mouth was starting to feel dry, so I excused myself. I left the big living area and entered the kitchen, where three girls stood talking in the corner. I didn't bother them, thinking they wouldn't be doing any harm. I opened the stainless steel fridge door and grabbed a cream soda. Popping it open, the condensation trickling through my fingers, I swerved around the corner and walked up the steps to the hall where my bedroom was, wanting to get some peace and quiet for a few minutes.

I took a swig from the can, and then another as I reached the top of the stairs. On my third sip, I almost choked and died.

Syaoran and some girl with booty shorts and a lot of make up were leaning against the doorframe of his bedroom, sucking each other's face off passionately. His hands roamed up and down her body while her fingers played in his hair.

I twirled around on my heel and clambered down the stairs. My face was burning, my heart was pounding and my mouth was dry all over again.

Why was he with that…that tramp! I raked my fingers through my hair, ripping through tangles and knots angrily, and chugged the rest of my pop. I whipped the empty can into the garbage, my mind not really focusing on recycling, and walked back out to the party.

Grinding my teeth, I noticed the three girls from the kitchen at the front door. Four older guys were there, and it didn't take much to know they had beer. I guess they _would _be doing harm, I thought dryly.

My mind flickered back to Syaoran and that tramp again, and I followed the guys into the living area. They set the beer down on the coffee table, and people crowded around to get some. I knew I should have got rid of the beer and made the guys leave…but I didn't.

I orbited around the alcohol, until I accidentally bumped into a girl that looked older than me by at least a year. I wondered vaguely how and why all these other people were here.

"Oh, sorry," she said, smiling. "Hey, did you want a beer?"

I stared at her, wide eyed, my mouth hanging open slightly. After a moment I realized what I was doing and clamped it shut. A moment of hesitation passed, and I nodded crisply. The girl smiled again and handed me a can of the Sapporo beer.

I popped it open, just as I had done with the cream soda, and stared at it as the light foam floated up past the dark liquid. I could hear it fizzing and smell the bitter fragrant before it was even close to my face, and then it was suddenly at my lips and streaming down my throat.

I don't care what Syaoran does, I told myself stubbornly as I downed the drink. He can make out with whomever he wants to. **I don't care! **

I found myself reaching for a second beer, flicking the top open, and gulping it down angrily. My vision was starting to blur around the edges and the room was spinning slightly under my feet. A smile crossed my lips and they let out a giggle. Then I snatched up yet another beer.

* * *

At the end of my fourth beer, I felt a hand grip my shoulder. I looked around, frowning. My eyes met Syaoran's and the frown deepened.

"What do **you **want?" I spat. My mind was fuzzy. I could barely make out how pissed off his eyes were.

"Sakura, how many drinks have you had?" he asked sternly.

I pursed my lips. "Why do you care?"

He took hold of my beer can. "Sakura, you have to stop now. No more beer. You shouldn't have had any in the first place, you stupid woman."

I glared at him and gripped the can tighter. "You can't say that to me!" I retorted, my speech a bit slurred.

"Yes I can," he hissed.

"No you can't," I growled back. The alcohol made my voice louder somehow, and some heads turned to look at us. Syaoran glanced around and then he let go of my beer and walked away.

He stopped at the coffee table, and stared at it. Almost glared. Then suddenly, he tore a can out of the box and was drinking it in no time. I smirked and gulped down the rest of mine.

The same girl from before came over to me with a glass this time. "I think you'll like this one too," she told me and then walked away. I stared down at the glass. My judgement completely silenced by alcohol, I started sipping it and decided to look around.

I saw a guy standing coolly with his hands in his pockets, his sapphire eyes darting around behind his glasses. His navy blue hair fell across his eyes, and he tried unsuccessfully to shake it away with a nod of his head. I smiled and stalked over to him.

"Hi," I said cheerfully, trying in my drunken state to make my speech clear. "How are you liking the party?"

"It's cool," he responded, blinking down at me. "Have you been drinking…?"

I ignored his question. "I'm Kinomoto Sakura, one of the hosts of this party."

"I, uh, I'm Hiiragazawa Eriol," he replied. He eyed my glass. "I think you should stop drinking."

I beamed up at him, aware that Syaoran was watching.

* * *

**A weak ending, I know, but it will be continued in the next chapter. The next chapter that I think will amuse you. ;) Again, I'm so sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I hope you'll still review! Also, take a guess at which girl Toya will end up with! Feimei? Fanren? Fuutie? Shiefa? Thank you all for reading and reviewing!**


	9. Hangover 101

**Multiple Personalities**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

**Hangover 101**

* * *

**Oh my God. I know. It's been about two months or so. But it's taken so long because I was trying to wrap up The New Teacher and Warriors: Unknown Origin so I could focus on Multiple Personalities and Amber and Emerald. But I knew I had to update because it's been so long and I feel so bad. . I'm sorry that it takes so long for this to update. Hopefully that will be changing soon. **

**Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. ;) It's nice and long, right?**

* * *

Eriol put his hand over mine. I looked up in surprise, jerky because of the alcohol. "Whaddaya doin'?"

"No more drinks, Kinomoto-san," he said sternly. I could see his sharp sapphire eyes clearly in the blurry haze that was everything else.

I pouted at him. "Why not?"

"I've stood here and watched you drink three glasses of that—what is that, anyway? Do you even know?" He pointed to my empty glass with his free hand. The other, on top of mine, stopped me from refilling my glass.

I looked down at the cup, blinking. Then I looked back up at Eriol. He sighed and shook his head. "Really, Kinomoto-san, you don't even know what you're drinking!"

"Tastes good," I mumbled.

Eriol rolled his eyes. "Come on now, Kinomoto-san. Put the glass down. Please."

"Call me Sakura," I said, pursing my lips again.

"Sakura," he said, piercing me with an intense, pleading gaze. "Stop drinking. I'll take you up to your room with some water. I'll take care of the party, don't worry."

As he slid his arm around my waist to help me up, I noticed Syaoran leaning against the wall, drink in hand, watching us and ignoring to girls crowded around him. I smiled and leaned in to Eriol, letting my weight fall on him. He led me to the stairs and I advanced—too quickly—up onto the first step. A flood of dizziness washed over me and I fell backward swiftly, my feet falling out from under me—

I landed safely in Eriol's firm arms. His cologne was strong and made me wrinkle my nose. I hoped that I wouldn't sneeze.

He propped me up properly on my feet, my head spinning. He grasped my elbow and led me slowly up the stairs. When we'd reached the top, I glanced down the stairs and caught a flash of amber. I wondered if Syaoran was still watching—then I wondered why I wondered. Then I stopped because thinking too much mixed with a tank of alcohol hurt my head. _Then, _I heard Harumi's voice and giggle and Syaoran's deep voice in response. I frowned.

"This is my room," I slurred, pointing sloppily to my door. I opened it and stepped inside, then crumpled down onto my bed.

"Good. Lie there," Eriol instructed.

"The party—"

"Don't worry about the party. Just don't drink any more alcohol, please." He shook his head, threw me the water bottle he'd got from my fridge, and then left, closing the door behind him.

I sipped gingerly at the water, and then gradually started taking bigger sips until I was hungrily gulping it down. It made me feel better, like I'd backpedalled on my last drink.

My door clicked open and Syaoran slithered in. My eyes narrowed. "Whaddayoo wan'!" I asked, my tongue feeling thick.

He was holding a beer can and his eyes were rimmed red. "So who was that guy?" I could tell just from his voice that he was noticeably less drunk than I was.

"Jealous?"

He shook his head, smirking. "Is that what you were aiming for? If it was, you failed."

"You're a good liar." It was taking all of my concentration to speak clearly and make a smart come back.

"So are you. I know you're piss drunk, and that you've never touched a drink before in your life," he said, his lip twitching.

I flushed, frowning. I opened my mouth to make a retort, but I knew he was right. Instead, I said, "And you _are _used to drinking?"

His eyes flashed. He whirled around on his heel and made to leave, but, against my better judgement—which is practically a synonym for 'Sakura is drunk'—I grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him back into my room.

"What're you—?" he protested angrily. I lost my balance and he shot out a hand to catch me. "Women are so stupid when they're drunk," he muttered.

"I resent that!" It came out as a yell.

"Shhh!" Syaoran hissed.

I grabbed his shoulders, balling the fabric of his shirt up in my fists. "Who was that skank you were with earlier?"

He blinked, his brows knitting together.

"The super skimpy shorts, kissing you upstairs, which was supposed to be off limits?" I reminded him.

He blushed, his frown deepening. He shook his head; the motion made strands of his chestnut hair fall in front of his eyes.

"That wasn't ... _me,_" he mumbled, his eyes darting around the room behind the locks of displaced hair. "You'll ... you'll understand in the morning." His eyes finally met mine, and he blinked. His long eyelashes brushed the dislodged tress. It was really irking me, the way the hair covered his face. I reached up and gently pushed the hair back to where it was supposed to be. My palm brushed his cheek; I felt it heat up against my skin. Still in my drunken daze, I slid my hand back across his face, feeling his strong cheekbones under his smooth skin. He had gone rigid, but suddenly he moved again, fluidly.

One hand reached behind my head and pressed against my hair gently. I noticed his eyes looked more pointed than normal before I noticed that his face was coming closer to mine. My mind just shut down when I felt his lips press against mine. The press got harder, and his body slipped closer to mine. My eyes were wide with shock, and suddenly, his were as well. He stopped moving altogether like he had before, and then he jerked away quickly. His wide eyes were rounder again, like normal, and those strong cheekbones were pink.

He stammered something that I didn't understand at all, with his being embarrassed and my being drunk. Then he rushed out of my room and into his, slamming his door behind him. I lie down on my bed and soon fell deeply asleep.

* * *

As soon as I moved, I moaned. A sharp pain cracked through my skull, and I reached up to try and cradle my head, but that made it throb too. I moaned again. Then again. And again.

My door flew open. Syaoran stood, scowling, looking dishevelled. Clearly he wasn't in any pain. "You sound like a cow, woman! Stop mooing!" he barked.

I moaned again, louder. He sighed, exasperated. Next thing I knew, he had his arms hooked under my shoulders and his hands wrapped around my stomach; he was dragging me out of my bed on the floor, out of my room, to the bathroom.

"I know you have to throw up," he said, almost warningly. "So throw up."

I looked up at him, pleadingly. He sighed again and then started out the door. "I'll go get you a glass of water."

His feet thumped as he stepped down the stairs. It made the ground vibrate under me, and I clutched the edge of the toilet seat—

I'll skip that part.

Syaoran came back when I was finished with a glass of ice cold water. I reached for it gratefully, but he splashed me in the face with it. I gasped at the sudden cold rush. He let out a brief laugh as the ice cubes smacked off my forehead.

"What was that for?" I yelled, and then recoiled. From myself. The yell hurt my head.

A smile lingered on his lips. "It makes you feel better. Wash your face and then come downstairs. Then you can have a real cup of water."

I groaned and heaved myself up, gripping the sink.

Surprisingly, washing my face with cold water had helped a bit. I rubbed a towel over my head—my hair was sopping from Syaoran's surprise attack. Then I slowly made my way down the stairs. And as promised, Syaoran had a glass of ice water on the table. I gulped it down.

Syaoran set two red tablets beside me. "The next step in Hangover 101: Tylenol." He was smirking at me, and that would have angered me if my head wasn't threatening to split open. I popped the pills into my mouth and hoped they would kick in soon enough.

"Damn ... what happened last night?" I asked, rubbing my temples.

Syaoran went stiff, and then continued busily washing dishes, ignoring my question. "This is a woman's job," he grumbled as he rinsed out a cup.

I pursed my lips. Stupid Syaoran. I shook my head. I could remember bits and pieces of what happened—I remembered being all over that Eriol guy. I blushed and groaned inwardly remembering it. I had some serious apologizing to do to him on Monday. I also recalled hoping Syaoran was watching as I flirted with the bespectacled boy—shamelessly, I added to myself. Then Syaoran and I were in my room, but I didn't remember what happened before I fell asleep. The last thing I remembered was Syaoran catching me before I fell, and his hair falling in his face. I hate it when people's hair fell in front of their faces—you can't see them properly. I frowned again. I was _sure _something had happened after that, in between then and my falling asleep. Damn, it was bugging me!

Syaoran cleared his throat loudly. I glanced up. His back was turned to me as he faced the sink. His throat rumbled again, and then he coughed falsely. I raised an eyebrow at the back of his head. "Did you say something?"

"Do you realize now—about what I said last night?" he asked, squirming uncomfortably, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

I thought about it. "Well ... you said a lot of things last night."

He growled. "About that sk—girl," he added.

My brows rose slightly while my eyes narrowed. "The skank."

"Yes."

I thought more, forcing the memories to come back, even though it made my head ache. "You said ... you weren't yourself," I started. He nodded. I chewed my lip slowly. "That was ... another personality?"

He stopped washing and turned ever so slightly to look at me. Our eyes met. Then he turned back to the dishes.

"I'm ... I'm sorry I yelled at you for that. It wasn't really_ your _fault," I mumbled sheepishly, twirling a strand of hair around my finger.

"You were drunk," he said, twisting the tap to turn the water off. "You were even stupider than usual. And that's _really _a spectacle."

I stuck my tongue out at him from behind his back. A part of me was disappointed that it was a personality that I already knew of—the stupid pervy one. There was still one left that I didn't know about. Another part ... was glad that the Syaoran standing in front of me wasn't the one kissing that girl last night.

My face heated up. Glad because why? I was letting my mind wander too much.

Syaoran turned around and reached by me to my water. He was ... close. I glanced over slowly; his pyjama shirt had ridden up and I could see his muscles. As he bent, they flexed, and he was closer to me still. He smelled of his soap and shampoo, with a lingering cologne scent. I let my eyes slide up to his neck, and then his face. His chestnut hair was a mess, brushing against his strong cheekbones. His amber eyes still looked the slightest bit bloodshot.

As he straightened, my glass in hand, my neck snapped back to stare down at the table, embarrassed. My face and neck felt really hot and I suddenly very much wanted the water the Syaoran was gulping down.

"You should go and lie down. Here," he added, filling the cup up with more water, "this will be good to have beside you." He pressed the cold glass into my hands, and nodded his head toward the stairs. His eyes were warm.

My fingers wrapped around the cup, and brushed his as he pulled away. I hesitated; so did he. I jerked away and swept up the stairs.

I pushed the door shut with my back, a light frown creasing my features. My face was burning and my head was spinning. What was I doing! What was that! Was I _losing my mind _or what!

My eyes traveled down to the cup of water. I took a gentle sip, and then had to stop myself from slamming it down onto the bedside table. What are you doing? I yelled at myself. Syaoran drank from that cup—!

I took another sip, sighing a giggle at my own stupidity.

* * *

On Monday morning, I felt a lot better. My head was clear of drunken fogginess and headache, and my stomach wasn't feeling nauseous any more. I was officially done with my hangover.

"Ready for school, Little Miss Drinker?" Syaoran asked as we approached the gate of the high school.

"Shut up." A smile tugged at my lips. I opened my mouth, and hesitated. He hadn't noticed me stop and kept walking. I blushed and grabbed the back of his jacket.

"Whoa!" he cried, balancing himself. "What are you doing, woman! I almost fell over!"

I could still feel the blood at my cheeks. "Thank you. For everything."

His lips parted in surprise, and then fell into a grin. A grin that was half a smirk. "Well, jeez. If I didn't look after you you'd be dead or living on the streets. Stupid woman." I scowled at him, and started walking again. As I passed him, he murmured softly, "You're welcome."

* * *

"Damn, Kinomoto, you're party was awesome!"

I turned to the group of guys and winked. "I hope you all had sufficient hangovers on Sunday?" I flashed a grin, and they mirrored it. Note to self—outrageous house parties boost your rep.

I froze when I saw a glint of navy hair. Eriol stood in front of a locker, with a paper—probably his time table—in his hand. He was shoving his messenger bag onto the shelf; when he'd finally accomplished that he exhaled deeply and set his glasses straight.

I cleared my throat, a fresh wave of embarrassment and stupidity washing over me. He looked over in surprise, and smiled when he saw me. My lip quivered, and I bent over suddenly in a bow, my face burning. "I'm so sorry! I was acting so stupid at the party! I was all over you and I was drunk and I'm sorry! And then, you had to break it up and—"

"Its fine, Kinomoto-san." He chuckled, and added with a smile, "Sorry, Sakura."

I looked up at him, blood pooling at my cheeks all over again. "I'm so embarrassed," I mumbled, pushing my hair back with my hand distractedly.

"It's all right, Sakura," he said, his smile stretching. "Please, stop apologizing. Oh, and it wasn't only me that broke up the party. There was another girl that helped. Daidouji Tomoyo."

My eyes widened. I'd have to thank her, too, and apologize. "So, what classes do you have?" I glanced at his time table. "Oh, I have a class with you. And you have two classes with Syaoran."

He looked up at me over his glasses. "Li ... I've heard a rumour that you two are engaged?"

I'd blushed more that day than ever before. "Ugh. Don't get me started."

"Wasn't it your house that the party was at? Meaning, Li's too?"

I nodded. "Let's just say, our parents are a little—who am I kidding, _way off _the beaten track."

He chuckled. "You're pretty eccentric yourself. And bold! Man, the way you were coming on to me ..."

I groaned as he laughed. "I'm such an idiot!"

He grinned. "I think you're brilliant."

I flushed, and bit my lip to hold back a giggle. Eriol was absolutely nowhere near as obnoxious as Syaoran. It was nice for a change.

"Sakura! Oh, hey, you found your boyfriend from the party."

"Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear," I grumbled.

Syaoran sized Eriol up, looking uncertain. "You new here?"

"Yeah." Eriol held out his hand. "Hiiragizawa Eriol. You must be Li Syaoran."

Warily, Syaoran took his hand. I could tell Eriol was sizing Syaoran up, too; he was just being more subtle. Which was easy.

When they were finished, Syaoran turned to me. "My mom called. She said they won't be back until Wednesday." I groaned, and he nodded in agreement. "They said we can bond more, my darling."

I rolled my eyes. "What great joy."

"Yeah. Two extra days alone with you. Why do I have the feeling you're going to eat me?"

"Because you're—"

"Delicious? Thank you. I know."

"Get out of here." I punched his shoulder. "Sorry, Eriol. He's rabid. The cage got lost in the mail."

Eriol laughed heartily. When the bell rang, he touched my arm lightly before he left.

"See you second period," I said, smiling.

When he was out of ear-shot, Syaoran said, "Well now. Isn't he adorable."

I said, "Shut up."

Syaoran smirked. "Awh. Aren't _you _adorable."

I glared at him, and he stuck his tongue out at me. I turned to walk away, but he grasped my hand, wrapping his fingers around mine. I wondered if he felt the electricity too. I looked back at him. He was smiling. It wasn't a smirk, but ... something else. "Class is this way," he told me, motioning to the opposite hallway. Before I could respond, he was dragging me along, whistling to himself.

* * *

"Kinomoto-san."

I turned around, beaming. "Daidouji-san! I've been looking for you." I grabbed her soft, slender hands in mine. "Thank you so much for your help with the party, I'm so sorry. I can't believe I ended up drunk."

She giggled. "It was no problem. That's what friends are for." A warm feeling glowed inside of me. Friends ... I was friends with someone like Tomoyo.

"Can—can I call you Tomoyo?" I blurted. "You can call me Sakura."

She stared at me, and then giggled again, louder this time. "Of course!"

I grinned stupidly. Yeah, Tomoyo had that effect on me.

Just then, Harumi ran up to me. "Hey, Sakura-chan. Your party was really fun." She stopped and looked at Tomoyo. She nodded at the raven-haired girl without smiling. Tomoyo nodded back, a wary look crossing her features.

Tomoyo said, "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan, but I have to go. I'll see you soon." She turned in an elegant whirl of silky dark hair and swept away.

Harumi wrinkled her nose in displeasure as she watched Tomoyo leave. "She's such a snob. Really stuck-up. How do you put up with her, Sakura-chan?"

I stared at my friend. "Are you serious? Tomoyo-chan's super nice. She's not stuck-up at all, and she isn't a snob either."

Harumi looked at me, an eyebrow raised. "She looks at me like I'm vermin. And she actually kicked everyone out on Saturday."

"Thank God she did. I was piss drunk!" I blurted, anger bubbling inside of me. Harumi was assuming things that she had no right to think about Tomoyo.

"Whatever. But that new boy, Hiiragizawa, is pretty hot," she said with a smile.

I frowned. Harumi was suddenly a lot shallower than I thought she was.

My phone beeped. It was Wei. "Wei?"

"Miss Sakura, I would like to inform you that Xie Shanyuan has been sentenced to life in prison for murder, child abduction—you're a minor, threatening a minor, possession of illegal weapons, possession of illegal drugs—"

"Okay, Wei, I've heard enough. That's a lot of stuff ... man, that guy's crazy." I shook my head. "He seemed like just a gentlemanly old man when I first met him."

"He is anything but, Miss Sakura." Wei's tone held a hint of bitterness.

"Thank you for telling me, Wei."

"Of course, Miss Sakura. When we return, I will tell you about Shanyuan. He has a bad history with the Li Corporation already," he added.

My eyebrows went up. I hadn't known that fact. "Oh, okay. Bye, Wei."

"Have a nice time with Master Syaoran, Miss Sakura."

After he hung up, I groaned. Was that amusement I'd sensed in the butler's voice? A smile tugged at my lips. Strange man. But a good one.

Harumi was about to say something, but someone suddenly slammed into me from behind. I twisted around and groaned inwardly when I saw Syaoran clutching my shirt, his head bowed, and his shoulders shaking. "Syaoran...?"

"S-Sakura!" he cried, looking up. I groaned, outwardly this time, when I saw tears gushing from his big, round, shiny eyes. "Th-they were being mean to me! They threw the ball at me and it hit my head! It hurts, Sakura, help!"

I looked over to where he was pointing. A group of guys stood looking dumbfounded. One of them rushed to retrieve the football where Syaoran had left it in the grass.

"We ... we didn't mean it?" one of them said, utterly confused. "I mean, we passed Li the ball, and I guess it surprised him—"

I waved him off. "Don't worry about it. He's—he's a drama queen. Sorry."

As they turned away, I heard them say, "Dude, maybe he's an actor or something?"

I looked at Syaoran again, sniffling and rubbing his eyes. "It ... it'll be okay?" I patted him on the head awkwardly. He touched my hand, trapping it against his head. I couldn't help but notice how thick and soft his messy hair really was. I cleared my throat and forced back a blush. "Come on, Syaoran, we have class." I started to walk back towards the school as the bell rang. I nearly shrieked when I felt Syaoran grab my hand, holding it tightly. He started walking slightly behind me. "What—what are you doing!"

He stared back at me innocently with those big, shiny amber eyes that were the Crybaby personality, as I dubbed it. I groaned for the fourth time and kept walking, Syaoran still clinging to my fingers with his.

* * *

**Well, damn! 7 pages on Word in size 12 font. That's a pretty fairly sized chapter, right...? I hope you liked it. :D Did it make up for the wait ... ? –hopeful smile- A little filler, but introduces Eriol a little more and lets on to – gasp! Sakura's growing attraction to Syaoran, perhaps ... ? XD Review and tell me what you thought!**

**~Review~ :D Thank you ~ **


	10. Smoker

**Multiple Personalities**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**Smoker**

**I'm sorry this took forever ... but I finished my Warriors fic so now I only have three to update ... and I wanted this chapter to be good so I thought it through a bit, just for you guys. ;) I hope you like it ... :D**

****UPDATE** LOLOL So the math part in this was wrong originally, I tried to sound smart and used some next math I remembered from grade eight, but it ended up being wrong. XD SORRY! I fixed it. God I'm a dumbass. Hopefully I got the answer right this time. :P**

* * *

"Seriously, you are _so _embarrassing sometimes," I moaned, shaking my head then brushing strands of hair away from my face. "No, all the time."

Syaoran swallowed. He looked a little embarrassed too; his cheeks were tinted pink. "It's not my fault that I have multiple personalities, is it?" he hissed. He spoke in a low voice so no one would hear him.

I glared at him. "But you don't have to go switching every time something—or some_one_, in this case—surprises you!"

He looked at me. If his ego and/or his pride weren't smothering me, I swear I could've seen pleading and plain embarrassment in his dark eyes. "But that's exactly what makes me switch! I can't help it, okay!"

I pursed my lips at him, and then a giggle escaped my lips. He eyed me weirdly. "What?"

I put my hand to my mouth to try and stop the giggles. I failed. "That—that poor old lady! She might've had a heart attack, for God's sake!"

Syaoran looked away, a smirk tugging at his own lips. "I think she just shut down after . . . ." He trailed off, biting his lip to stop his laughter.

My own laughing got louder, and I tried to stop before someone looked over and thought I was crazy. But I couldn't—the expression on that old lady's face!

Here's the story—we were walking to school normally, when a little old lady with a frightening face of wrinkles popped up in front of Syaoran and commented on his muscular arms. Syaoran yelled in alarm and his eyes went blank, then he came back with dreamy, determined eyes.

"Did you know," he said loudly, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me into him, "that we are going to get married?"

The old lady was dumbfounded.

"That's right," he continued. "Gosh, I love her so much! Our parents arranged our marriage, see, but I wasn't worried because I knew that my mother would pick the perfect woman for me, and she did! She picked Sakura! I already know what our wedding's going to look like and who's going to be there."

I groaned loudly, trying to hide my face from the woman, whose mouth was hanging open slightly in shock, revealing a missing tooth. She gasped in alarm when Syaoran swung his arms around her and squeezed her hard.

"You can come too!" he exclaimed. "You—you can be the godmother of our children!"

My face had flushed a deep crimson by this point. "Syaoran!" I spat, and reached out. My fingers lightly brushed his back as I went to grab his arm. I felt the muscle underneath, and they suddenly tensed. When I grabbed his arm, they tensed even more, and he whipped around suddenly, the dreamy gaze gone and his strong cheek bones red. He gripped my hand and quickly tugged me away. I glanced once more at the lady, staring at the ground in shock.

I said, between bursts of laughter, "God, you're an idiot!"

He grinned. "Shut up, woman." He ran his fingers through his hair. I noticed how they didn't get stuck in any tangles, and remembered how soft his hair was from when I had touched it when he was sick. "Let's just hope we don't run into her again. Ever."

I nodded in agreement, and he looked over at something.

"Isn't that your friend?" he asked, nodding his head to the left. I followed his gaze and saw Harumi.

"Yes. That's Harumi. Don't you remember?"

He shrugged. "I guess." I rolled my eyes, and he smiled at me, flicking his head so his hair fell in front of his eyes. It felt like a dare, and I took it. I reached up and moved it slowly back into its proper place. My eyes locked with his, and time seemed to slow down. His amber gaze was intense, and I felt like he could see into me. But I only saw the flecks of gold in his irises, shining because of the morning light. He opened his mouth slowly as if to say something, then closed it and smirked. He touched the back of my hand with his, sending a jolt of electricity into my fingers, and gingerly pulled it away from his hair.

I felt like I was in a dream as he gripped my hand. But as soon as he let go, I jolted back to reality and felt my face instantly flushed. His cheeks were sprinkled with red as well. To avoid making eye contact with him, I looked over to the side and noticed that Harumi had been staring. When she realized that I'd seen her she quickly looked away. Her expression confused me. What word should I use to describe it . . . stormy?

I was just about to call her over when Syaoran, "Hey, Harumi-chan."

She immediately looked over and smiled at him before running over to join us. She looked at me and her smile suddenly seemed fake. But as soon as her gaze returned to Syaoran, it seemed real again. A frown crept onto my face. What was wrong with her . . . ?

A group of girls called Syaoran's name. He looked over and smiled, which produced some giggles from the group. I glanced past Harumi and saw that they were older than us.

"Well, I'll see you later, Harumi-chan, Sakura," he said with a wink at me, and then he jogged over to the girls.

For some reason, my stomach twisted while I watched him act all flirty with them.

"Sakura-chan . . . ." Harumi's voice brought my attention back to her.

"Yeah?"

She was frowning at me. "What was that with Syaoran-kun just now?"

I blinked. "What . . . oh, I moved his hair out of the way, that's all . . . he knows I hate it when I can't see his face—" I blushed. "—er, can't see the face . . . of whomever I'm talking to . . . and he did it on purpose."

She looked at me with icy eyes. "Fine."

I blinked again. "Harumi-chan . . .?"

She blinked and then smiled at me again as if nothing had happened. She grasped my hand. "Class is gonna start soon, Sakura-chan, we should go."

My mouth hung open as she tugged me along. "Uh, okay . . ."

* * *

In math, I stared at nothing, pondering Harumi's actions from earlier. She had given me the coldest look, and then suddenly it melted away and she was happy again. Was it because she likes Syaoran and she thought there was something between us? But . . . she knows I don't like Syaoran. We weren't willingly betrothed.

I ran my fingers through my hair with a frustrated sigh. She was so complicated.

Suddenly, the now familiar jolt of electricity shot through my fingers. My head snapped to the side, and I saw Syaoran leaning toward me slightly, his fingertips gently brushing my hand. I opened my mouth to ask what he was doing but he cut me off.

"A review question," he whispered quickly. "Five to the power of five. Go!"

I looked up and realized for the first time that the teacher was awaiting my answer. I stumbled on the words at first, but I got a grasp on it and told him the answer as if I'd been listening the whole time. "Five to the power of five is five times five times five times five times five, therefore it's three thousand one hundred twenty five." My voice even sounded confident.

The teacher hesitated, and then nodded, apparently contented, and turned back to the board.

I looked over at Syaoran and flashed him a little smile. "Thanks for that."

His cheek rested against his palm as his eyes shimmered with amusement. "No problem. You were completely spaced out, I figured my touch would get you going again."

I rolled my eyes. "_O_kay." Note to self—never admit to him that that was true.

I picked up my pencil, as if to write a note, and then shrugged and threw it down again. It was only review, anyway . . .

Syaoran's pocket started vibrating and he pulled out his cell. As he read the message, a shadow fell over his face.

"Uhm . . . I can't walk home with you today," he said. "Make sure you don't get your ass kidnapped again."

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Focus on your education, woman. It's very lax."

* * *

I shivered. It wasn't because I was cold, but it was because I felt like someone was watching me. Like, intensely. With intense hatred and iciness. I glanced around me, but no one seemed to be paying any attention to me. It made me uneasy, but I shrugged it off and started on my walk home.

I half expected a black van to pull up and kidnap me again, especially after that feeling that someone was glowering at me from behind.

I nearly leapt out of my skin when my cell buzzed. I exhaled deeply before answering. Surprisingly, it was Wei.

"Hello, Miss Sakura. Master Syaoran informed me that you would be walking home today without accompaniment. So I thought I would call to take your mind off things," he explained. "Especially since I want to tell you about Shanyuan."

"Thank you, Wei," I replied. "I didn't know Syaoran could think so far ahead."

Wei chuckled faintly. "Maybe just for you, Miss Sakura."

I snorted, but a warm feeling came to stomach at the thought.

"Anyway, please tell me about Shanyuan," I said.

Wei cleared his throat. "Well, Xie Shanyuan used to work for the Li Corporation. He was very high in ranking and Master Li trusted him with many things. But when the chance arose for him to own a company of his own he took it and left the Lis. A few years later he was near bankruptcy and went to Master Li for help, hoping they could merge or whatnot to save his company. Master Li refused and claimed to have forgotten who Shanyuan was—which could not have been true—and Xie Shanyuan went bankrupt."

I blinked, my mouth open, searching for words but ending up speechless.

"In the years following that," Wei went on, "Shanyuan attacked the company in multiple ways. Trashing them in the media, searching for scandals within the group, threats, and so on. Eventually he started going after Syaoran. Until it got so serious that he kidnapped you and . . . well, you know what happens after that."

I nodded, forgetting that Wei couldn't see me. I pondered it for a moment. "Well . . . then didn't . . . Li-san bring it upon himself when he shut Shanyuan out like that?"

Wei was silent for a moment. "I suppose . . . you're right. Master Li can be quite ruthless at times."

* * *

I thought maybe I was just a bit it _too _giddy, but I couldn't help myself around Tomoyo. She just radiated beauty and elegance and I felt like a garden gnome kicked in the dirt next to her. She had invited me to the movies shortly after I'd gotten home. I quickly forgot about Shanyuan and said yes.

She was a lot of fun to be around. During the movie, we kept whispering comments to each other and giggling uncontrollably until near the end when someone finally kicked our chairs and hissed 'shh' to us.

Now I was walking home, passing the school. I would have just passed on by it except I heard a noise. I looked over cautiously and heard voices when I listened closely. I crept slowly passed the gates onto the school grounds and glanced around. There was a large cement shed, shaped like a box. It was close to the school and made a sort of alleyway. I could tell the voices were coming from there.

I walked slowly over to it, taking each step carefully, hoping they wouldn't echo around me. I made it around the side without being seen or heard and took a deep breath before poking my head around the side to see who it was.

The first guy I saw was some shirtless muscle-head with a shaved head and tattoos all over his body. I noticed a unicorn on his right shoulder blade and wondered if he thought that was manly. There was another guy in a baggy shirt and baggy pants pulled three quarters down his ass; his bright blue boxers hung out. He wore a du rag with a hat placed lightly on top. The perfect gangstas. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

There were two more figures, one crumpled on the ground. Blood trickled from his nose and I figured that was the noise I'd heard. The last guy was wearing a black muscle shirt that fit him well, torn jeans and fingerless gloves. A cigarette hanging from his mouth, it was none other than Syaoran.

I almost shouted something like, "Syaoran! You smoke!" but stopped myself before that wannabe gangster turned around and popped me with a gun. I decided I would ask him about it later and began to creep away. I almost made it, too, but I heard a shout as I passed by the other end of the alley to leave again.

I looked behind me. Syaoran had turned too. His strangely hard eyes widened when he saw me, then pulled into a frown. "Shit!" he hissed, before shoving the meat head and bolting out of the alley. He grabbed my elbow and dragged me along with him. We stopped a motorcycle on the street, and Syaoran threw me onto the back and turned it on. The guy must have left the key in the ignition. "Hold on to my waist!" he shouted to me, and I did, hesitantly. When it started moving, I quickly gripped harder, and buried my face in his back before my skin got blown off my face. I was acutely aware of his abs tensing as he leaned forward.

He drove around for a while and then left the bike at some random street corner. He roughly pulled me off and we started running again, down some streets and around some corners until we were back at our house.

We stood in front, panting. Syaoran had lost his cigarette somewhere along the way, and apparently he wanted another one. He stood up straight and drew another one from his pocket, and lit it up. He inhaled and exhaled calmly, blowing smoke in my face accidentally, and leaned coolly against the wall of the house.

I stared at him incredulously. His eyes moved to mine, and I was still surprised at how hard and cold they looked. He took the smoke out of his mouth.

"So how did you end up there?" he asked calmly.

I blinked, and had my mouth open for a moment before I spoke. "I—I was walking home from the movies . . . and I heard a noise. So . . . I followed it."

He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. Then he opened them and stared at me again, piercing me with icy amber.

"Are you an idiot?" he asked seriously.

"Why yes, I'm quite the retard," I replied, my anger rising. "What—"

"Who knows what those guys would've done to you," he said.

"I bet you do," I said, levelling my gaze with him. He glared back, and then stepped forward so I was looking up at him.

"Yes, I do," he muttered icily. "And it's not pretty."

I swallowed at his look. He looked like a hardened jail inmate, not the innocent teenager he'd been before.

He raised his cigarette to his lips again. I clenched my teeth. "Get that cancer stick out of your mouth."

He blinked calmly, and then blew out slowly and deliberately into my face. I coughed, and snatched at the cigarette. He caught my hand before it got to him.

"You smell like alcohol," I said.

He cocked his head to the side. "I'm not a little boy."

"You're fifteen."

"And what about your excursion with the booze? You're fifteen too."

"Is this what you meant about having experience with it? How you weren't so drunk then."

He nodded slowly.

I looked down. "I never took you for a smoker."

He let go of my hand and spat the cigarette onto the ground. He stepped it out. "I'm the only one that likes it." He turned and swept away into the house.

I stood on the porch, staring at the ground in wonder. I'd never pictured Syaoran's other personality to be . . . that. Or . . . _like _that.

I breathed in and out deeply before following him into the house.

* * *

**I hope you liked it. :P Sorry it wasn't too long, but I was dragging the update on for way too long and I wanted to get it to you guys. So what do you think of Syaoran's final personality? Was it what you were expecting? :D Tell me in a review! Review, review!**


	11. Fear

**Multiple Personalities**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

**Fear**

* * *

**Yes, yes, it's been a while again, hasn't it? :$ I'm really sorry, again. But I'm updating now because I was motivated and inspired by a review I got yesterday, from ... I'm trying to write the name but DM is taking it away. Just look at the reviews, you should know which one. :P Thank them, anyway! :D xD Now I have a whole layout for the rest of the story, which will hopefully mean quicker updates! :3 I warn you though, this chapter isn't so good. The next one, I'm expecting, will be much better.**

**Also, MERRY CHRISTMAS! :D**

* * *

I quickly ran to sit on the couch after Syaoran was out of sight. My head was spinning and I felt off balance. I pulled my feet up onto the sofa and put my head between my knees, breathing in and out deeply.

That was the first time I had been genuinely afraid of Syaoran. And I wasn't sure what to think.

I heard footsteps behind me, and I shook my head sharply as I put my feet back on the ground. Looking to my right, I saw that the frantic footsteps were coming from Yelan. Her brow was creased and her eyes looked deeply troubled.

"Tell me, Sakura," she said, sweeping over to sit beside me. Her gaze locked with mine and I felt a prickle crawl up my spine. If Yelan was worried like this, then something was seriously wrong. "What happened with Syaoran just a moment ago?"

I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out. I gathered my thoughts and took a deep breath. "I discovered Syaoran's last personality."

Something glinted in Yelan's eyes. She nodded for me to go on.

"Well . . . I was walking by the school and I heard a noise . . ." I told her everything that had happened, how this personality seemed different.

When I was finished, Yelan leaned back into the couch, somehow managing to still keep her back straight, and sighed. She put her slender, white fingers to her temples and began rubbing them. "This could be bad," she murmured, to herself more than to me. "Worse than last time, even."

"Yelan . . . what's wrong? What's going on?" I asked, unconsciously leaning forward. "Is Syaoran . . . okay?"

The older woman's eyes snapped over to me, contemplated for a split second, and then she broke into a forced smile. She cupped my cheek in her hands, which were strangely icy. "Everything's fine, Sakura. There's no need to worry."

She got to her feet and rushed as calmly as she could out of the room.

I knew she was lying.

I made my way up the stairs to get to my room, but stopped in the hallway. I glanced at Syaoran's door. It was closed, and had an ominous air about it that I certainly hadn't noticed before.

Biting my lip, I stepped lightly over to the other side of the hallway and braced myself on the wall beside the door. Pressing my ear against the drywall, I closed my eyes and strained to listen inside of the room.

Suddenly there was a click and a creaking sound. My eyes snapped open with a gasp from my lips that couldn't be held back. Syaoran stood leaning against the doorframe, eyeing me with that unfamiliar gaze.

I parted my lips to say something, but I was cut off before I could even start when my eyes met with his.

They were so unlike Syaoran's. All of the other Syaoran's, in fact. Not only the shape was different in this personality; the irises were darker, colder, more hateful and even bloodthirsty. And those pupils . . . pupils are supposed to be black, but somehow, these were more than black. When I looked in them, I felt like I was falling into the unknown shadows of an abyss. A black, terrifying, endless abyss.

His soft hiss broke the silence and allowed me to move my eyes away from his. "Get out."

I was about to open my mouth to protest, but I looked in his eyes again, and was silenced for the second time before I'd even begun. With a sharp intake of breath, I turned and scrambled back into my room, closing the door behind me. After a few eerie minutes, I heard his door squeak slowly until the latch calmly clicked closed again.

* * *

"Harumi-chan," I asked thoughtfully, staring at my soda. We were eating lunch at the mall the next day. "Do you still like Syaoran?"

Harumi looked dumbfounded. "Of course I do. I think . . . I'm in love with him actually." She blushed and stared dreamily into the distance. I tried not to puke. Now it wasn't even because it was Syaoran, it was because she was genuine.

"Harumi-chan . . . you've only talked to him a couple of times. Are you _sure _you're _in love _with him?"

Harumi nodded, frowning at me. "Of _course_ I'm sure. I knew it as soon as I set eyes on him, actually."

I mentally rolled my eyes at her. She was getting ridiculous. I could honestly say I'd much rather be hanging out with Tomoyo and the others, especially when Harumi was always going on about Syaoran.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. It was the same sensation as the day before—that someone was watching me. Someone who disliked me a lot. I lifted my gaze, and the feeling was gone. Harumi was smiling into her food and no one around us was paying me any attention. Weird.

"Well, Harumi-chan," I said as we were getting ready to leave, "I think you should . . . be careful." Because Syaoran could possibly be a psycho maniac.

As I turned to throw our garbage away, I could have sworn I heard her whisper, "So should you."

* * *

I was sitting on Tomoyo's bed while she played with my hair, still thinking about Syaoran. I couldn't get those horrid eyes out of my head.

"Say, Sakura," Tomoyo said, pulling me away from my thoughts, "what do you think of Eriol-kun?"

I blinked. An unusual question. "Well . . . he's hot. And he's really nice, and funny, and . . ."

"Do you like him?"

I blinked again. "I . . ." I thought of Syaoran, his electric touch, and I blushed. Then I mentally slapped myself. "I don't like him. Eriol. I don't really like anyone." I tried to look at Tomoyo without moving my head. "Why do you ask?"

"Well . . . we kind of set up a date together," she admitted sheepishly, letting the smallest giggle escape.

My eyes widened. "Really?" I was a little jealous—I know I was kind of, you know, starting to like Eriol. But then Syaoran's fingers started getting electrically charged and whatnot.

Not that I like Syaoran. At all.

"He's not actually my boyfriend or anything yet though, it's just a . . . get to know each other date," Tomoyo insisted.

I smirked. "I think it's a date, Tomoyo. Just a date."

Her fingers drew away from my hair. I looked over my shoulder to see her, and let out a laugh of surprise.

Her normally cool and porcelain cheeks had pooled with blood and were glowing red. She covered her face with her hands and looked at me through her long fingers. She was chewing her lip to prevent the goofy grin from splitting across her face.

"Whoa, Tomoyo!" I laughed. "I've definitely never seen you like this."

"I haven't even known him that long, but he gives me butterflies in my stomach every time I see him!" Tomoyo squealed. "I've never, ever had that feeling before!"

Again I thought of Syaoran, the otherworldly feeling I'd had when I was simply brushing his hair away from his face. But I kicked that thought away and grinned up at my friend. "I bet you do the same to him."

She squealed again and wrapped her arms around me. To think someone so beautiful would be hugging an average girl like me! It made me smile stupidly; she still has that effect on me, yes. And let me tell you, it was a lot better than Harumi's effect.

* * *

When I returned home, I was greeted by a surprise. Dropping my purse onto the kitchen counter, I said, "Fancy meeting you here."

Eriol turned and smiled, looking princely as always. "Hey, Sakura."

I looked around. "Here for Syaoran? I bet he needs tutoring or something, huh?" I giggled. "Dumbass."

"I'm right here, Miss Intelligence," Syaoran's voice, irritated, came from behind me.

"What's your point?" I slid onto one of the stools around the island.

"Who tells who the answers in math class when someone's not paying attention?" Syaoran countered, lifting one eyebrow cockily at me.

"Shut up, that was one time!"

Eriol chuckled softly. "You two are like an old married couple."

Simultaneously we rolled our eyes.

I looked at Eriol again. "Seriously, why _are _you here?"

Eriol snorted and laughed.

"Sakura," Syaoran said flatly, dropping his face into his palm, "you are _so _stupid. And embarrassing. I don't lack the ability to make friends, you know. In fact, with these incredible good looks, I was gifted for doing just that."

Feeling my face flush, I retorted. "_Who's _embarrassing? Might I remind you of the incident at the supermarket, the incident with that poor old lady—"

Syaoran pinched my arm and cut me off. I pressed my hand against the stinging red mark, scowling at him. My face flushed again; even when he was pinching me, I felt that thrilling jolt when his skin touched mine.

"She's not stupid," Eriol said, propping his elbows up on the island counter. "I think she's cute."

My cheeks tinged pink and Syaoran turned abruptly, his hair whipping into his face. "Tell her about your date with Tomoyo, Eriol."

I clapped my hands together happily. "Oh, that's right! I heard about it from Tomoyo! Are you excited?"

Eriol smiled soberly, his eyes glimmering ever so slightly. "I am, in fact," he replied with a nod.

"Where are you guys going?" Syaoran inquired, closing the fridge door and emerging with a glass of milk.

Eriol shrugged. "Just to the movies. First date, don't want to push it, right?" Syaoran and I exchanged a glance. "Hey, I have an idea! Why don't you two come as well?"

"What? That's stupid," Syaoran scoffed from behind his glass. "What will Tomoyo think when you show up with a third and fourth wheel?"

"It'll be like a double date—" Eriol quickly back-pedalled when Syaoran and I both opened our mouths to flatly refuse. "I mean, obviously it won't be a date for you guys, right, and you can keep it from getting awkward but not be a third wheel 'cause you can keep each other company, see?" Eriol's words were coming out in a rush. I grinned, as this confirmed that he was just as excited for this date as Tomoyo was.

"All right, I'll go," I announced, sliding off my stool. Eriol flashed me a grateful smile. Syaoran muttered his consent.

Eriol's lips parted as he started to speak again, but a sudden, ear-splitting crash caught the attention of the room. Milk pooled at Syaoran's feet and shards of glass scattered around the floor. I brought my gaze up to Syaoran's face. His mouth formed a twisted smile, and those eyes were back, causing an involuntary squeak of fear to tear out of my throat.

"Syaoran, you okay, man?" Eriol asked, frowning in concern.

Syaoran leaned back against the kitchen sink, still smiling cruelly. "Peachy." He stretched his arm out as far he could reach and swiped all of the dishes onto the floor. The harsh clattering sound rang out as the dishes were all dashed into fragments. I screamed as one piece of glass ricocheted off the fridge and sliced a shallow wound onto my arm. I saw the scarlet run down to my fingers, and noticed Syaoran's abysmal eyes follow the liquid, fascinated.

I glanced at Eriol; he was completely taken aback. I caught his eye and jerked my head to the front door. He reluctantly padded away from the scene, and I followed. Looking over my shoulder, I saw that Syaoran was watching me intently. His sick grin twisted more at the corners and he shook his head slowly and gently as if to say, _Naughty girl. _I sucked in a breath and tore my eyes away from him before he could steal my soul.

At the door, I shoved Eriol's shoes at him and got him out the door.

"W-what's going on, Sakura?" There was a quiver in his voice; he was worried. Maybe he was even afraid? "Are you okay? Is he okay?"

I looked into his sapphire eyes, the whites showing around the edges. "I'll have to explain later."

Eriol blinked, and then closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were clear. He nodded and then turned as I closed the door.

Yelan was in the kitchen now. "What is going on down here?" she demanded. "Syaoran, what happened?"

She stopped suddenly when she saw Syaoran examining the shard of glass with my blood on it hungrily, like it was a rare, delectable pastry. As his eyes slowly cut away from the glass to look at her, she blanched. I'd never seen her so pale.

I hurried over to stand beside her. "Yelan, what—"

"Go, Sakura," she said curtly.

"But—"

"_Go._"

I looked at Yelan, then at Syaoran, then at Yelan again. Her dark hair created a ghostly contrast to her scarily white skin and her eyes were wild. I bit my lip and walked as coolly as I could over to the staircase with my legs feeling like wet noodles.

I heard him say, "Hello again, Yelan."

I frowned at that. Even the other personalities called Yelan 'mother'.

Why was this personality so completely different? So different in look, style, movement, speech—and he was so horribly easy to dislike, to be frightened of. Something was not right at all about this personality. It was starting to seem wrong to even call it a personality. It also seemed to have a past with Yelan.

I stood at the top of the stairs, trying to listen in on the conversation. I could hear nothing. I spun on my heel and headed back to my room.

* * *

It was just past midnight. My bed was becoming terribly uncomfortable as I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. I wanted to know what happened earlier in the evening between Yelan and Syaoran. I'd heard nothing except for Syaoran's door open and close about half an hour after I'd entered my own room. I had to know . . .

I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of my bed. Before I knew it I was standing in front of Syaoran's closed bedroom door. My heart was pounding; I clutched my chest with one hand to try and steady it. I pressed the other hand softly against the wood.

There was a creaking sound from the other side of the door, and then the door opened lightly. I gasped in surprise and possibly fear.

Syaoran stood in the doorway, dishevelled and tired. His hair stuck up all over his head. He was clad in flannel pyjama bottoms and a bare chest. He stretched and yawned, and I couldn't help but notice the muscles around his abdomen harden as he did so.

"What brings you here so late in the night?" he asked, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. "I must admit, I've thought many things of you, but none of them a prostitute. I guess I can add that to my list now."

His words went unheard as I stared into his eyes. They were rounded and soft like normal, the amber irises glowing warmly. I smiled with relief.

Syaoran blinked. "Why are you smiling? Don't tell me you're actually a prostitute."

"I'm glad you're back to normal, Syaoran," I whispered, genuinely pleased to see he was back to normal after seeing the hunger in his eyes as he destroyed the kitchen.

His eyes softened and he stepped forward. ". . . I'm sorry for scaring you, Sakura. But please don't worry. I'll be okay . . ." The sentence trailed off, and I could hear the words in my head. _For now. _He'll be okay for now.

"And then what?" I asked.

His eyes darkened. "It's been solved before. It can be solved again."

I opened my mouth to say something more, wondering what that could mean, when he reached out and pulled me toward him with one arm. His hand gently pressed me against his chest. I blushed as a fluttery rush went through my entire body.

"Thank you for being concerned, Sakura. I'm . . . it makes me really happy."

My eyes widened. His voice was so sincere, and also . . . lonely. I'd never heard him speak so softly like this before.

After a moment of silence—a comfortable silence, I surprisingly didn't feel at all awkward—he pulled away and was smirking impishly at me again.

"So, we're going to have fun on our double date, eh?"

I pursed my lips at him. "I swear you didn't like Eriol."

He leaned in closely. Our faces were very close . . . our lips were very close . . .

"That was when I thought he was interested in you."

Before I could process what he'd said, he shut the door in my face.

* * *

**I hope you liked it. I know it was a crappy chapter after such a long wait, I'm sorry. The writing was poor, it definitely could've been better but... The double date will make things interesting for them next chapter though. :D And Syaoran's past has some darkness perhaps, hmmm? Please review, tell me what you think! Thank you for reading! Merry Christmas!**


	12. Double Date

**Multiple Personalities**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

**Double Date**

* * *

I pursed my lips thoughtfully as I examined myself in the mirror. A long, slim-fitting green shirt with black leggings and a thick belt around my waist, plus black boots. To be honest, I was thinking I looked pretty good. It was a new outfit I'd bought that afternoon—I'd say it wasn't specifically for the 'double date' that wasn't actually a date (not for me, anyway) but I was fretting over what I'd wear and just happened to wander into a store and come out with a new outfit.

Eriol, Tomoyo, Syaoran and me. I wonder how that'll go.

Not that I really needed to dress up. I mean, Eriol wouldn't care, he was there for Tomoyo. A voice in my head squeaked _"Syaoran!" _but I stood up abruptly and chanted to myself that I was semi-dressed up for Tomoyo while my cheeks burned. Why would I be trying to look good for Syaoran? That's just stupid.

"Sakura! Phone!" My brother's voice caught my attention.

"The phone?" I mumbled to myself, glancing around for it. "Wow, I didn't even hear it ring." I located it and pressed talk. "Hello?"

The voice on the other end caught me by surprise. "Hey, Sakura-chan!"

"Oh, Harumi," I replied, kind of rudely. I'd thought it was going to be Tomoyo.

She was silent for a moment, then spoke again. "So, do you wanna come hang out tonight?"

"I can't," I said, biting my lip. I felt like she wasn't gonna take this well, for some reason.

There was another moment of silence, only the buzzing of the phone's static filling my ear.

"Why not?" She sounded suspicious.

"I'm going to the movies with Tomoyo and Eriol . . . and Syaoran," I explained, twirling a piece of hair around my finger while my stomach coiled nervously.

Coldness was seeping into her tone. "You're going on a double date? With Syaoran?"

"No!" I yelled back, much too quickly. I swallowed and cleared my throat. "No, we're just there to make sure it doesn't get awkward for them."

"Mmhmm."

My brow furrowed. What right did she have to get all pissy and act like she didn't believe me?

"Yep," I replied curtly, placing my hand on my hip defiantly as if she could see me.

"Sure. Well then, I guess I'll see you on Monday," she sniffed.

I frowned into my mirror. "Yeah. See you." I hung up and carelessly tossed the phone onto my bed.

As I opened my bedroom door, I shook my head as if to get Harumi off my mind. There was no reason for her to be angry or snippy or anything about the . . . whatever it was, it's not like me and Syaoran are the ones dating!

Syaoran was walking up the stairs as I shut the door behind me. His lips were moving to whatever song he was listening to on his iPod, but when he saw me, he stopped and pulled out his earbuds.

I raised an eyebrow. "What're you listening to that makes you want to sing? Being so heartless and everything."

He cocked an eyebrow back at me. "SHINee. Lucifer, actually. Fitting, isn't it? Because I'm just a sexy devil."

I blinked in surprise. I didn't think we'd have the same taste in music; I loved SHINee.

He started to turn so he could face his door, but stopped. Then he leaned back against the wall, staring at me. He tilted his head to the right, strands of hair spilling in front of his eyes. I felt like he was totally doing it on purpose to annoy me. Which he probably was.

"All dressed up for our date?" he asked, a corner of his mouth quirking.

I rolled my eyes and tried to think of other things to stop the rush of blood that threatened to pool in my cheeks. "Yes, I hope you approve."

I glanced back at him when he didn't answer right away. His gaze was engrossing, his amber irises catching mine right away when I looked up, like he was waiting for me to look directly into them. It made my chest squeeze, and I was immensely aware of how different they were from his most recent personality. These eyes were enchantingly warm . . . and they still made me feel like I was falling, only not into a bottomless abyss. They made feel like I was falling into . . . a cloud.

I snapped back to reality when he finally spoke. His words were soft. "I do approve. That shirt brings out the green in your eyes. It looks cute."

His gaze stayed locked with mine for a split second more, and then he was smirking again and entering his room. After he closed the door, I stood in the hallway with my back pressed against the wall so I wouldn't collapse.

Since when did his eyes make me feel like I was falling into a cloud? And, come on, a cloud? Couldn't I have done better than that? Why was his comment—that my outfit looks cute, that my eyes look cute, whatever—why was it making my heart beat so quickly?

I put my face in my hands.

_Shit! _

I took a deep breath and told myself I was just going crazy. So his eyes were pretty and he had a nice body, that didn't mean I was like . . . falling in love with him, or something stupid like that. No way, he's a total ass!

My cheeks were glowing red and tingling with heat. From anger, of course. I spun around on my heels and started down the stairs, chanting soothing words of sanity to myself. However, I was stopped in my tracks when I heard aggravated voices that were failing at an attempt to be hushed.

"It's going to happen again." Fanren's voice, sounding angry. Then again, Fanren was always kind of angry.

"We can stop it." Now it was Yelan who spoke; she sounded strained and tired.

"How? Lock him in his room for a week or so and see if he comes out with eight new personalities? This isn't going to be like the first time," Fanren said; her tone was warning.

"Don't say it," Yelan ordered.

Fanren ignored her. "It's going to be worse."

There was a slam that made me jump. I craned my neck in an effort to see what was going on. I could only catch a glimpse of Yelan's thick dark hair.

"You can't just pretend its not there!" Fanren's voice was rising now, more anger creeping into her tone.

"I'm not pretending!" Yelan shouted back. "I just don't know what to do!"

There was a moment of silence; I could feel the tension crackling in the kitchen from where I stood, hidden on the staircase.

Just as someone was taking a breath to say something more, I felt a presence behind me. I quickly whipped my head around to see Syaoran, standing with his torso shadowed at the top of the stairs. I could see his mouth was twisted into a crooked smile.

_Don't look, Sakura. Don't look at them . . ._

My eyes flicked for a brief second up to Syaoran's eyes and I felt every hair on my body stand on end. It took me a while to notice that he was casually advancing down the steps, his hands in his pockets. Catching my breath, I backed against the wall, my fingers gripping for a hold that wasn't there. Before I knew it, his face was right in front of mine, his eyes boring into mine. The cloud had given way to the dark bottomless pit once again and it made my stomach tighten into a knot. He was leaning closer still, and though the stairway was dark, his too-black pupils were constricted.

His wolf-like grin warped to form a word that he whispered with such malignancy it sent a bolt of panic shooting down my spine:

"_Boo."_

His arm shot out the next thing I knew my feet were slipping off the edge of the step and I was tumbling down the final half of the staircase. A single scream tore from my lips, but my throat tightened and went dry when I caught of flash of the morbid joy in his eyes and his giggle.

Suddenly I was gasping as the wind knocked out of me when I crashed to the marble flooring. My head cracked off a tile and I saw bursts of white light as a fuzziness settled in my head.

I hadn't heard anything that Fanren or Yelan had been saying since the silence, but the conversation stopped immediately with my sudden appearance. Yelan gasped in surprise and Fanren rushed forward, crouching down to examine me.

"Can you sit up?" she asked urgently.

I pushed myself upright with my arms, wincing in pain. Fanren's long fingers were soon probing the back of my head. Yelan was standing beside us now, too.

"Sakura, dear, what happened?" she exclaimed.

I opened my mouth to say something, but my eyes were still trained on him. Yelan followed my gaze and I saw her stiffen.

"Oops. Sorry," he murmured before whirling around and walking calmly back up the stairs.

Yelan looked back at me; her dark eyes were brimmed with tears now. Her lower lip trembled as she whispered, "I'm so sorry, Sakura." She placed one of her slim hands over her now pale face and swept away into another room.

Before I could call after her, Fanren spoke again. "How do you feel?" she asked gently.

I blinked a few times. "Well . . . I just have a headache."

She exhaled slowly, gingerly taking her hand away from my head. "I think you're all right. Just take some Tylenol and put some ice on it. You should be fine for your . . . date," she said hesitantly, flashing me a playful but apologetic smile.

I smiled back at her. "Thanks."

Letting out a soft chuckle, she ruffled my hair and helped me to my feet. I was surprised at how gentle she was. With everyone else, except one of the sisters and Syaoran, she was so aloof and . . . well, bad-ass. I remembered what Syaoran had said once, about his personalities all being inspired by his sisters. Did Fanren inspire the one who had just pushed me down the stairs? She was the only one who was even close to fitting the part, although I was certain she wouldn't be pushing me down the stairs.

* * *

I sighed, pressing the bag of ice harder against my head. I glanced at the clock; the 'date' would be starting soon. But then . . . would Syaoran be . . . Syaoran? Or . . .

I winced and tightened my grip on the bag of ice.

"Hey."

A cross between a gasp and a shriek ripped out of my throat, and I dropped the bag of ice down the back of my shirt in surprise. Then I shrieked again and batted at the back of my neck, unable to reach the ice. An electric jolt shot down my spine when a warm hand reached under my shirt. Suddenly the cold was gone and I looked to my left to see Syaoran smirking at me, ice pack in hand.

The memory of his face as he pushed me flashed through my mind and I frantically searched his features. He was himself again, his eyes glowing with mischief as opposed to malevolence.

But he'd seen the fear in my eyes. His face fell slightly and he stood up, taking a step back. There was a pang of guilt in my chest when I saw the hurt in his amber irises. I opened my mouth to say something, but he cut me off before I could start.

"It's gonna be time to go soon. Wei's driving us in a limo," he said.

My eyes widened. "A limo? Why?"

He smiled lopsidedly and it angers me to say that it sent butterflies to my stomach.

"Because I can. Hurry up." He turned and started towards the kitchen, but stopped before he'd left the living room. Without turning around, he said quietly, "I'm sorry."

* * *

_Oh my God. _

_I swear people only do that in the movies. _

I was staring incredulously at Eriol and Tomoyo. Eriol had just done "the move"—pretended to be yawning and stretching, but putting his arm around Tomoyo's shoulder after—and Tomoyo had just smiled sheepishly and leaned into him. It really worked. Huh.

I glanced at Syaoran. His shoulders were trembling slightly with laughter and he was biting back a smile. He caught my eye and made a show of yawning and stretching. I elbowed him swiftly in the ribs and followed it up with a glare. He winked at me, smirking.

The movie went on, and by the end Eriol and Tomoyo were kissing more than the main characters. It was just a little hard to watch.

When the credits started rolling and the gloom lifted from the theatre, I sprang out of my seat as soon as I could.

"Well, that was fun!" I said cheerily. Syaoran dropped his head quickly and his shoulders shook with his laughter. Eriol and Tomoyo bit their lips and shot me embarrassed grins. I caught their fingers intertwining and knew we had to get out before they started sucking each other's faces off again.

"Come on, guys! Hi ho!" I exclaimed stupidly, waving towards the exit. Syaoran stood, covering his face with his hands to hide his excessive laughter. I fell into step beside him, walking behind the new happy couple to ensure that they would still actually be walking. I heard his gasping and aimed a slap at the back of his head. He stumbled forward a bit, his hands coming away from his face. Tears were forming in the corners of his eyes from his continual laughing. His expression was filled with boyish glee that looked—angelic. It made my cheeks feel hot and my heart skipped a beat—but just one!

I reached up to adjust my cardigan, only to realize I wasn't even wearing it. I shook my head with a sigh. "I forgot my sweater in the theatre, I'm gonna go back and get it. I'll be right back." I turned and started back towards the theatre; Syaoran jogged up to my side and walked with me. His arm brushed mine and made goosebumps rise and hairs stand on end. "Why did you decide to join me on this fine stroll?" I blurted quickly, hugging my arms and trying to not be flustered. I glanced over at him, at his cool expression and the curve of his lips.

He spoke, and I looked away from him. "I didn't want to be the third wheel for their make out session."

I blinked. "How do you know they'll—"

"Trust me." I eyed him sidelong and caught his knowing smirk.

I rolled my eyes and pushed open the doors to the theatre. The credits were scrolling lazily along the screen and a slow song was droning from the speakers. I searched for our seats and spotted my green cardigan, slung across the back of my chair. "There it is!" I pointed to it and ran up the wide stairs, hearing Syaoran's calmer footsteps following close behind me.

I started to step down the aisle to get to our seats, but stopped when I saw a spill of soda on the floor. My sweater wasn't too far away; I could reach over and grab it. With a groan, I planted one hand on an armrest and leaned forward, stretching my other hand out as far as I could reach. I put my knee up on one of the closed cushions so I could get farther—

The seat snapped down and I was thrown off balance. My only thought was _gross gross gross! _as I tumbled toward the used soda lying on the floor beneath me.

An arm wrapped around my waist, stopping me from falling. I sighed in relief—then my heart started pounding again when I realized Syaoran's arm was wound tightly around me and I was pressed against him. My entire body tingled and I could hear his heart beat through my back. He reached forward and yanked my sweater off the chair back easily. Then he stood me up straight and we stood there for a short moment that felt like a few hours, him facing my back while my face burned red.

Finally, I sucked in a breath, not sure what had just happened, and spun around to face him. As soon as I moved he thrust his arm out, green cardigan clenched in his fingers. I took it from him with both hands, feeling the heat where his hands had held it. He cleared his throat and wheeled around on his heels, starting on his walk back to our friends.

I glanced down at the sweater, and took a deep breath. His scent wafted to my nose and made the heat rise in my face again. I heard a whistle and looked up to see Syaoran already walking down the steps. Exhaling deeply, I ran clumsily forward and hastily pulled on my sweater, though I felt no chills in my body now.

Eventually I caught up with him. There was a silence that would've turned awkward if we didn't see Eriol and Tomoyo when we did. Sure enough, Eriol had Tomoyo pressed against the wall in a back corner of the arcade, kissing like there was no tomorrow. I sighed and Syaoran chuckled, running his fingers through his hair.

"What did I tell you?" he asked, sounding smug.

"You were right," I grumbled.

He laughed quietly again, and then turned to face me. "Well, we're here now. Why not play some Dance Dance Revolution?"

I stared at him, then let out a laugh. "You're inviting me to play DDR with you?"

"Scared?" He raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"For you. You don't understand how badly you're gonna get your ass kicked," I retorted with a confident smile. I hopped up onto the dance pad. As an afterthought, I looked back at him over my shoulder. "By the way, you're paying."

He laughed loudly, shaking his head as he retrieved his wallet from his back pocket. We both picked the hardest level and chose a random song that turned out to be really fast and kept those damn arrows coming in a non-stop flood. My head was pounding with my feet; up, left, up, right, right-left, down, down-up . . .

Syaoran and I were forever casting glances at each other, watching each other's legs flail around and laughing our asses off in the process. That song we chose was five and a half minutes long, and my heart was beating insanely, my breathing heavy. Giggling, I stumbled a bit and fell over onto Syaoran, supporting myself on his arm and feeling his corded muscles. I looked up at his face; we were both laughing like drunks and sweating from our video game workout. When we had cramps from laughing too hard, our eyes met and the laughter kind of died out, along with the awareness of everything else around us.

His wild dancing had made his already shaggy shock even messier than before. Tresses of chestnut hair had long since fallen into his face, partly hiding the amber of his eyes. Parting my lips, I stretched out my hand and brushed them back gingerly. His hair was incredibly soft; I wanted nothing more than to tangle my fingers into it and—

A loud bleep came from the DDR machine, greedily asking us for more money and tearing me out of my reverie. We looked at the machine and then back at each other, our eyes wide. At the same time we seemed to notice how close we were and stepped away. He opened his mouth to say something, but a loud moan drew our attention to Eriol and Tomoyo, still hard to work at making out. I felt the colour rise to my cheeks and avoided looking at Syaoran with a nervous laugh. It took me a moment to realize Syaoran's attention wasn't on either of us.

I looked around, seeking the source of that attention. He seemed to be looking at a guy mingling with a group of friends. I couldn't see his face, though, so I couldn't be sure.

That is, until he started with a purposeful gait towards the man. He looked like a college student; definitely older than Syaoran and I.

My blood nearly froze when I saw Syaoran's hands slip into his pockets with odd nonchalance. I couldn't hear what the first part of the conversation was, but the older guy had shaken his head. I saw Syaoran's elbow fly backwards and I squeezed my eyes shut as hard as I could, covering my face with my hands for extra assurance. I heard a crunch and a yell accompanied with multiple gasps. My heart pounding against my ribcage, I whisked my eyes open and observed the scene through my fingers.

The older guy was on the ground; Syaoran was bending over him, gripping his collar menacingly with one hand, the other still resting in his pocket. His hair shadowing his face, he raised his voice as if he were putting on a show. "I said, give me your cigarettes. I can smell the smoke on you." He inhaled deeply, followed by a frosty chuckle that sent a tremor through my body.

The man in Syaoran's clutches fumbled around in his back pocket until he finally retrieved the pack of smokes Syaoran was demanding. He offered them up with a shaky hand. Syaoran slid his hand out of his pocket and gently pried the package from his victim's trembling fingers. He opened the box, held it up to his mouth and put his lips around one of the brown tips, pulling it out of the container. Then he discarded the pack, the remaining cigarettes spilling onto the floor.

"Light it."

"Huh?"

Syaoran tugged the man closer to his face. "I said, _light the cigarette._"

The man tried to say something else, but it came out in a frightened jumble. He shoved his hand into his front pocket this time, and withdrew a lighter. He flicked it open and started the flame, then held a shaky hand up to Syaoran's cigarette. Syaoran inhaled hungrily, and breathed out into the poor guy's face.

Suddenly Syaoran snatched the lighter and pushed the man back onto the floor with a thud. He lit the flame and held in front of his face. After a heart beat, he pushed his hair out of his face and his eyes became visible. He stared longingly at the fire before craning his neck to look at me. He always found me. With those cold, unfeeling eyes.

My chest tightened, but he glanced away again before I could explode with fear. He crushed his thumb down on the lighter so it would jam and stay lit momentarily, then he dropped it right in the middle of his victim's stomach. His shirt started to burn, and with a shout he scrabbled at the lighter until he could cap it. A few people jumped forward to pat the burning fabric.

Syaoran turned around contentedly and walked toward the doors.

Finally, I found it in myself to move, to drag myself forward. "Syaoran!" I called after him. "Stop! Hey!"

At first, I thought he was going to ignore me. Then he stopped abruptly, taking his time to puff from his cigarette. Suddenly his head snapped back to face me over his shoulder. His eyes locked me in a grip that made me want to curl up under the covers and coax myself into feeling safe—but with him around, knowing I never would be.

Then he was turning away, heading toward the exit again. I couldn't make my legs go after him. They were shaking too violently. When Eriol and Tomoyo finally caught up with me, my knees buckled and I found myself on the ground. Tomoyo was talking to me but I couldn't hear what she was saying. I was wrapped up in my own world.

What was I feeling? I was so afraid at the beginning of this date. Then I was just so completely enveloped by Syaoran—the _real _Syaoran—that I'd forgotten about the whole stairs thing. But now . . . that gaze . . . it felt like . . . a horrible omen of what was to come.

* * *

**MMM. This chapter was seven pages long on Word. Pretty long, no? I am SO SORRY about the wait for this one. I promise I started working on it before the New Year, and I was actually working on it on the New Year—yep, we stayed home cause everyone was sick this year, and I had to drag myself away from this document to do the countdown, then crawl back to my laptop. Heheh. But then school started again, and teachers are just so smart, giving us exam reviews and big projects all at the same time. -_- Ugh. It sucks away all your time, seriously, I was working on a geography project for like four days straight. On the last day I was working from four till past midnight. (It's cause I was drawing pictures for it on my tablet and they all needed to be perfected. :P) I best get a good mark on that one…**

**And now I've finally found time to get around to finishing this chapter! I thought about splitting it into two but then I was like naah, they waited a long time for this. ;) I made myself nostalgic, reading all of my favourite old fics, then I was just on a roll! :D **

**So anyway, I hope you liked this chapter! I think more will be revealed about Syaoran's shady past in the next chapter, and a new character. ;D And did you notice the absence of the A/N at the beginning of the chapter? :P I just put it all down here cause no one cares anyway. XD **

**Well, please review and tell me what you thought of their date! X) And then Syaoran's two psycho moves! O.O Also, sorry for any typos, I really feel like there's one hidden here somewhere, I just can't find it... xD **


	13. House Guest

**Multiple Personalities**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

_**House Guest**_

* * *

I stared blankly down at my science textbook, looking at the words but not really reading it. There was something Yelan wasn't telling me. Something very important that she seemed to not want anyone to know.

When I'd gotten home the night before, Syaoran was nowhere to be found. When Yelan questioned where he was, her eyes were telling me that she already knew. After I'd told her what had happened, she'd looked like her worst fears had just been confirmed, whatever they might be. Of course, I asked her what was wrong and she'd smiled and said nothing was wrong, then went upstairs.

I frowned to myself. Obviously something was wrong. Did she think I was stupid or something, and wouldn't notice that something was _very wrong?_ Syaoran's aggressive personality was getting more and more aggressive each time it showed up. Plus, the other personalities weren't coming out anymore. And apparently, Yelan and her daughters knew exactly what was happening but weren't willing to give up any information.

I dragged my hand down my face and glanced up at the staircase. I still wasn't sure if Syaoran was home or not. No one had come downstairs yet or made very much noise upstairs though it was after eleven in the morning.

My thoughts were cut off when the doorbell rang and made me start in my seat. Placing a hand over my heart, I got out of my chair and made my way over to the front door. As I was walking, the visitor got impatient and knocked loudly. Just as he or she had done so I reached the door and pulled it open, one hand on my hip, eyebrow cocked expectantly.

I was faced with a girl my height, maybe shorter, leaning against one of many suitcases. She met my eyes and we both looked confused. Something seemed familiar about those sharp bronze eyes and her dark, straight hair.

Then my memory suddenly kicked in. "You're Meiling!" I nearly shouted. "Tomoyo-chan's friend."

She blinked, and then nodded. "Sakura-san, was it?"

"Right," I replied. I looked around her. "So . . . what exactly are you doing here?"

I don't know if I just imagined it, but I thought I could see fear hidden in her eyes. Her gaze focused suddenly on something over my shoulder, and she smiled half-heartedly. "Hi, Aunt Yelan."

My eyes widened. _Aunt Yelan?_

Turning, I saw that Yelan was coming towards us with a smile on her face. "Welcome, Meiling. I'm so happy you're finally here."

Yelan wrapped her arms around her supposed niece in a hug. Meiling seemed incredibly nervous for some reason.

"Let me help you with your bags, dear," she suggested, and cast a quick glance at me, saying that I should help too. I stepped forward and gripped the leather strap of the one closest to me. I walked with them up to the guestroom she would be occupying, Yelan making small talk and Meiling giving short answers and timid laughs. Overall, I felt extremely awkward.

When there was a silence, I jumped in. "So, why is Meiling-san coming to live with us?"

"Her parents are going to be out of town for a few weeks on business, so we offered to let her stay here with us," Yelan explained.

"I'm surprised you haven't been talking about it," I said.

"Yes, well, there have been . . . other things popping up." She laughed falsely and quietly, flashing an apologetic glance at me and then a worried one at Meiling. The other girl looked suddenly stricken. I was taken aback.

"What kind of other things, Aunt Yelan?" she asked, wringing her fingers together.

Yelan chewed her lip, looking pleadingly at her niece.

"What _kind _of other things?"

"Syaoran is . . ." Yelan left her sentence hanging, and I saw her shoulders sag when realization hit Meiling before her statement was even finished. My eyes narrowed. Something was going on here. Something to do with Syaoran and his bad ass personality.

I felt warm breath on my shoulder, and I whirled around, heat creeping up my neck. Syaoran was leaning on the doorframe right behind me, dipping his head so that his face was directly next to mine. I let out a strangled yelp of surprise. He grinned at me.

"Syaoran!" I yelled. "What are you—where were you?"

Ignoring my question, his gaze moved to Yelan, and then to Meiling, where his eyes lingered. Suddenly they looked guarded.

He stood up straight and pushed past me, holding out his hand and clearing his throat. "Hello, Meiling," he said, his voice abnormally quiet.

Meiling's hand was slow and trembling as she reached out to take his. He shook it lightly and she immediately pulled back, the glimpse of fear I'd seen in her eyes earlier inflated until her eyes seemed to be popping out of her head.

Syaoran sighed softly in disappointment and then looked at his mother. Yelan was watching on sadly, and she shook her head once at him. Syaoran closed his eyes and sucked in a breath, then forced a smile at Meiling again and swept out of the room.

_Well that was just odd. _

I excused myself from the room, feeling even more awkward after that scene. I walked over to Syaoran's room; his door was closed. I tapped lightly on it, then pressed my hands against it. "Syaoran? What was that about?" I asked quietly. He didn't respond. The door hadn't been fully shut, so my weight was causing it to creak open. I peeked in; Syaoran's back was facing me. "Syaoran?" I repeated, taking a tentative step into the room but staying behind the door.

I noticed that he was shaking, his arm and neck muscles corded and bulging under some sort of strain. I gasped at the sight and ventured further into his bedroom.

"Syaoran, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Worry laced my voice. I reached out to place my hand on his shoulder, but he whipped around to face me. I gasped again.

Sweat plastered his face and his eyes were dilating and then shrinking again. His teeth were clenched, and he let out a groan when he saw me.

"Don't come in," he gasped; his voice cracked with pain. His trembling got worse as I watched on in horror. "Leave, Sakura."

"What's going on?" I questioned, shaking my head and reaching for him again.

He recoiled from my touch. "It's just . . . it's just my other personality. It screws—" he winced "—it screws up my body sometimes. But you should leave before he comes out again and, I don't know, hits you with a stick." His attempt at wit failed with his breathing ragged and his face flushed. I finally got my hand to his face, though I ended up slapping him by accident.

"Uhm, ow," he muttered in annoyance.

I blushed. "Well, if I hadn't moved quickly you would've swatted my hand away."

"And look where it got me," he said, but I saw a hint of a smile on his face. He was glad I was worried for him, and it me feel kinda warm inside.

My lips parted in surprise when I felt the heat seeping from his skin. "My God, Syaoran—you're burning up!"

He took my hand away from his face. "Don't worry about it, Sakura. It's kind of normal."

"I don't think it is!" I protested.

"Well it hasn't happened in a long time, but—just, trust me." He was still holding my wrist and I was largely aware of the contact. I glanced up to meet his eyes and I was almost shocked by their intensity. Before I knew it, I found myself backing slowly out of the room as he crouched and shoved his head between his knees, still trembling.

* * *

Toya came in a little while later, draping his blazer across the back of the sofa and dropping his keys on the counter. "Hey," he said, stopping as he eyed Meiling sitting at the table in the kitchen. "Who's this?"

Meiling gave him a small smile that he, surprisingly, returned.

"This is Meiling-san," I introduced, gesturing towards her needlessly. "She's Syaoran's cousin, and she's going to be living with us here for a while."

He stood still for a moment, observing her, and then he grabbed his blazer and started towards the stairs. "Huh."

I cocked an eyebrow at his back, and then turned back to my new housemate. She smirked, leaning her chin in her palm. "Charming."

I laughed lightly. "He's a little gruff on the outside, but once you get to know him, he's not so bad." I shrugged.

"Hmm." Meiling's eyes flicked to the staircase then back to me. "Well. You're in grade ten, right? The same as Tomoyo-chan."

I blinked at her. "Yeah. Why, aren't you?"

She smiled and shook her head. "I'm in twelfth grade, actually."

I couldn't help my jaw falling open. I quickly closed it, clearing my throat.

She laughed. "I know, it's strange. I'm a petite girl, huh?"

"But . . . you hang out with Tomoyo-chan," I blurted.

She nodded. "Tomoyo's my neighbour. I've been her friend since we were toddlers."

I slumped into a chair. "Wow. Uh, sorry, I don't mean to be rude."

She giggled again. "It's all right, I like that reaction better than the ones I get sometimes." She looked like she was going to say more, then something flickered in her eyes and she suddenly looked like she was dying a little inside.

I leaned forward, looking into her face, and waved my hand in front of her nose. "Hey, you there? Something wrong?"

She blinked and looked up at me, smiling a little sheepishly. "Oh, no, everything's fine. I was just . . ." She chewed her lip. "My height was always good ammunition for—bullying."

"Bullying? But you're beautiful," I said absent-mindedly.

She laughed heartily, and, realizing what I'd said, I flushed pink. "Thank you," she said.

I smiled. She looked a little rough when you saw her from afar, but she really wasn't so bad when you started talking to her. Maybe her tough exterior was a guard against this apparent bullying about her height.

I stood and turned to the cupboard behind me, reaching for two cups. I stopped, mid-grab, and glanced over my shoulder at Meiling.

"Hey," I started uneasily.

Her bronze eyes flicked over to me. "Yes?"

"Why . . . if—if you don't mind my asking . . . why are you so—I mean—why don't you like Syaoran?" I stumbled, my cheeks growing hot. _What a stupid thing to ask! _

Meiling went silent for a minute. Maybe a couple of minutes. I peeked at the corner of the cupboard door and considered shoving my face into it for my stupidity.

Finally, Meiling spoke, and I jumped, my shoulder jamming into the door. I bit back a cry of pain so I could hear what she said. "Syaoran and—"

"What's going on in here?" Yelan was suddenly in the kitchen, smiling as she cut off her niece.

"Oh, well, I was just—" Meiling started.

Yelan cut her off again. "Let it alone for now, Meiling."

Meiling's gaze was pleading, but Yelan wasn't giving in. I looked at Yelan, feeling slightly hurt that I wasn't allowed in on this secret.

The older woman smiled at me empathetically. "In due time, Sakura," she whispered.

* * *

I decided to go on a little walk to sort through my thoughts.

Obviously, something had gone down in Syaoran's childhood. Something Yelan apparently didn't want anyone finding out about. Even me.

I mean, sure, I hated the guy from the start, but . . . I don't hate him that much anymore, you know? I kind of . . . like him now. Kind of.

And then I was thinking of his skin, tanned golden, and the electric shock that I felt whenever I came into contact with it. His mop of tangled chestnut hair that was frustratingly sexy. His amber eyes that I could stare into all afternoon, that could seemingly stare into my soul.

I dragged a hand down my face. Oh, God. Now I was romanticising him in my head again. I halted and pressed my hands to my face, letting my palms cool off my warm cheeks. When my hands were back at my sides again, I finally noticed where I was.

I took in the big building marked off for demolition. It was the old, abandoned place that was being turned into a condo. The same place Shanyuan had taken me when he'd kidnapped me. I looked over my shoulders, scanning the seemingly dead streets around me as if he was going to materialise behind me and ask me if his napkin smelled like chloroform.

I frowned, smelling something out of place. I inhaled again; the scent had gotten stronger. Was that . . . smoke? I wheeled around and gasped.

Smoke was snaking out of the doorway. I took a tentative step closer, but halted immediately when I saw the flicker of flames lick at a hole in the boarded up windows. I backed up a few paces, my thoughts getting jumbled, not sure what to do. How had a fire started in an abandoned building? What should I do?

I heard the echo of a scream, and my panic built. Someone was trapped inside? What was going on?

The echo came again, louder this time, and I realized it wasn't a scream. It was a laugh. A rather frightening laugh, at that. It sounded like one you'd hear bouncing around the walls of padded white room.

Then there really was a scream—and it came from me. The partially boarded up window from which the fire was visible had suddenly exploded. Well, not exactly exploded, but that's what I thought it was at first.

I took my hands away from my eyes and saw that someone had barrelled through the wood and was now sprawled across the pavement, an arm over his eyes as he let out another shriek of laughter. A cold hand grabbed my heart when I recognised who it was—Syaoran.

"Syao—?" I began frantically, extending my arm towards him.

He sat up so quickly it startled me. Then again, I was already quite rattled. He stretched, still giggling, and then looked at me, his mouth curved into a sharp, sharkish grin. My hands grew cold and sweaty as I tried to avoid his eyes. But it was just like always. I couldn't. I met his eyes and all the hairs across my body stood on end, my stomach rising to my throat, the sharp tang of fear on my dry tongue. He got to his feet and opened his mouth.

A bang cut him off. We both turned our attention to the building behind us, now engulfed in flames. Syaoran threw his arms out, howling maniacally again, as if he were embracing the heat and the flames.

I coughed and covered my mouth and nose with my hand. "Syaoran, why did you do this?" My hand muffled my voice, but he heard me perfectly.

He turned just slightly to look at me over his shoulder; not enough to fully see his face, just his shark smile. And then he let out another shrieking laugh, a laugh so loud and free it felt like a criminal had been set loose from a top-notch prison. It was enough to make tears spring to my eyes and send me running back home at full speed.

* * *

**Well I'll leave you here for now, my friends . . . I know it was another long update wait and I'm sorry, I just can't seem to get a regular update flowing. Since my plans indicate that there are only a few chapters left of this story, however, I'll be trying to finish this one up and then finish up Amber and Emerald. **

**I hope you liked this chapter, what do you guys think about this crazy ass Syaoran? XD And what about Meiling, hmm? Tell me yo' thoughts in a review! :D I'll try to update as soon as I can! **


	14. The Old Tale

**Multiple Personalities**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

**The Old Tale**

* * *

I thought my heart would burst out of my chest. It was thudding obnoxiously against my ribcage, and it felt as if a small fire had started in my throat. I bit back a cry at the thought of fire. I didn't dare look back, even though the warehouse was long behind me, as I knew I'd see the smoke rising over the trees and houses and buildings as if it were mocking me. I desperately hoped Syaoran was okay, that he was back to normal. In my mind I knew the former was right but the latter was less likely and it made tears spring to my eyes. Why was that part of him so malicious and blood thirsty? What had he ever done to be plagued with those other personalities?

My rant of thoughts came to an end when I finally reached my house. I stumbled up the walkway, feeling my legs tremble beneath me, though I was unsure of whether it was the uncalled for exercise making them shake or my growing fear.

I spotted Yelan immediately, just as she spotted me. Concern clouded her face when she saw me. "Sakura, dear, whatever is the matter?" She rushed over to my side as I started towards a chair and grabbed my arm, shaking her head. "You can't sit down yet. You have to walk around to steady your heart rate."

I groaned, wanting nothing more but to curl up on the couch and let everything fall away, but I did as she said and paced around the room. Yelan got me a glass of water and sat me in a chair when my heart rate was back to normal. I gulped it down gratefully, my throat still burning.

"What happened?" Yelan asked.

I stared at her, and then blurted, "Syaoran—evil Syaoran—burned down that old warehouse!"

Yelan at first looked taken aback, and then she turned pale and suddenly looked years older. She put her face in her hands for a moment and then looked back up at me. "You should get some rest, Sakura," she whispered.

Anger flared inside of me. "What? No! I'm not going to sleep after this! Are you still refusing to tell me what's going on with Syaoran!" My voice had risen to a yell, which had attracted the others.

"Syaoran's condition is a private matter, Sakura, you aren't to be tangled up in it!" Yelan shot back, her own voice beginning to rise.

"A private matter?" Meiling and I both shrieked. I glanced at her, surprised. She stepped forward, looking just as angry as I did. "It is NOT a private matter anymore, Auntie! He burned down a building! And after what he's done in the past—"

"Hush, Meiling!" Yelan scolded.

Meiling's face turned red. She opened her mouth to shout something back, but I cut her off. "No! No more hushing! Even if it's private, I have a right to know! I live with him! He's my—he's my fiancé, for God's sake! He may be a totally arrogant ass sometimes but he's also a good person—and this horrid personality is screwing everything up for him! And there's obviously a secret behind it that I need to know to help him—AND you—get past it!" I sucked in a breath; I'd rushed out everything so quickly. "I care about him too, you know!" I was on the verge of tears now and breathing heavily again.

Heat quickly rose to my face when everyone in the room exchanged subtle glances. Yelan looked taken aback for a moment, but she gathered herself and gave me a small smile. "You're right. I shouldn't hold it back from you any longer."

My heart skipped a beat. Whoa. I was finally going to find out what had happened in Syaoran's life . . .

Yelan took a seat in one of the island chairs. She intertwined her fingers and stared just over them into nothing, lost in her thoughts for a moment. Then she inhaled deeply and started her son's tale.

"Syaoran's father was never around. And I mean never. We only ever saw him a few times a year. When he did come home, Syaoran would get so excited, but only meet disappointment when his father didn't have time for him even in our own house. One day, when Syaoran was about ten, he went to his father about something." She shook her head, looking troubled. "I still don't know what it was that they spoke about. Syaoran never told me. He never told anyone, even—even the therapists. But whatever they spoke about lead Syaoran to locking himself in his room for two weeks. Oh, Sakura, it was terrible. He would barely eat and didn't speak a word to us the whole time he was in there.

"And then suddenly, he decided to come out. He just waltzed into the kitchen, looking contented, and said, 'I made a new friend. Now I won't be lonely.'

"'A new friend?' I'd asked. I knew the moment he said it that something bad would come of it.

"He pointed to Fanren. 'He's kind of like her. And he never leaves me.' That struck a chord with me. Whatever was going on inside my child's mind, it was all because of his father."

Yelan's story was cut off when the door slammed open and Syaoran was brought inside, being held down by two officers as he kicked and thrashed. Another officer walked in behind them and knocked needlessly on the doorframe.

"Forgive me for interrupting," he said, his blue eyes scanning the room under bushy brown eyebrows, "but we found this boy at the scene of a crime."

Syaoran's eyes met mine; they were changing sizes again, and I saw sweat trailing down his face and veins bulging in his neck. I knew he having an inner battle. The officers set him down on his feet, and he crumpled to the ground.

"Syaoran!" I ran over to him and pressed my palm against his forehead. Sure enough, he was burning up again, just like before. I slapped his cheek lightly a few times, and he didn't move. I looked back over my shoulder at the others. "He's passed out," I informed them quietly.

Yelan was soon by my side. "What crime, exactly?" she asked the officers, even though she knew full well what had happened.

"The abandoned warehouse was set on fire, Miss, the one marked for demolition."

* * *

Yelan spoke with the policemen for a little while. I dragged Syaoran up to his room and lay him down on his bed, just like I had when he was sick. I brought him a cold cloth to put on his forehead and watched as his inward struggle continued, even in his state of unconsciousness. I sat there for some time, I don't know how long, until it suddenly stopped. I gasped when it did, and hope bloomed in my stomach that he would wake up and be himself.

His eyes snapped open and his mouth formed a sharkish grin. I felt like I'd been slapped and quickly looked away from his face. He sat up and the cold cloth fell onto his lap. "You nursed me back to health?" he asked, picking up the damp fabric. "How cute."

"I didn't do it for _you,_" I grumbled, my face feeling hot, "I did it for Syaoran."

He reached over and grabbed my face, turning it so that I was face to face with him. His eyes locked with mine and I felt my legs turn to jelly. "I _am _Syaoran, sweetheart," he whispered hoarsely.

My heart started beating faster. I balled my hands into fists and swatted his fingers away from my face, stumbling backwards. He looked amused. I felt angry. _Incredibly _angry.

"You are _not _Syaoran!" I yelled at him, and he looked momentarily surprised. "You're just some other personality that he made up in his mind when he felt like he was alone!"

He got to his feet, raising his arms above his head in a stretch. "Ah, so you know that story now, eh?"

"Yes!" I shouted. "Now you have to just—just _leave _so that the real Syaoran can come back and live normally!"

He stepped closer to me and leaned his face towards me. "Oh? But how do you know that _I'm _not the real Syaoran? That the boy you think is the 'real' one is simply—" he spread his hands "—a personality that _I _made up?"

"That's a lie," I said.

"And how would you know? Did your father ever ignore you? Did he ever tell you he didn't love you?"

I was stricken by that. He'd told Syaoran he didn't love him?

There was an even stronger hateful look in those terrifying eyes now. "Well? Do you?"

"No," I mumbled.

"Exactly." He pointed at himself. "_I'm _Syaoran now. The boy you knew is going to simply die away, soon enough, just like all of his other pathetic personas."

* * *

"He really said all that?" Eriol's sapphire eyes were wide.

I nodded, hugging my knees closer to my chest. Eriol, Tomoyo and I were in Tomoyo's bedroom, sitting on the cushy mattress. I'd felt numb after I'd spoken to him, and didn't know what else to do, other than call my friends. And now here we were.

"He's . . . just really scary now." My voice was a whisper. I hated to even relive it—any of my experiences with him, in fact.

Tomoyo put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. I met her eyes, large and amethyst. "I don't think Syaoran would ever let him hurt you, Sakura."

* * *

"That's not true," I lied, averting my eyes from hers.

"Yes, it is!" Harumi shot back, putting her hands on her hips. "You never tell me anything anymore, Sakura-chan. You're keeping stuff from me, and you're telling Tomoyo."

_Do I sense jealousy? _I sighed. "All right. I'm sorry, Harumi."

"Is it true what I heard?" she asked suddenly, her eyes sparkling with excitement and hunger.

"What did you hear?" My patience with her was already running thin. Harumi had good intentions, but she was just nowhere near as pleasant to be around as Tomoyo and the other girls were.

"That Syaoran burnt down a building." She giggled, putting her fingers over her lips as if to muffle the sound.

I stared at her, my mouth hanging slightly open. "Er . . . ."

Her mouth curved into a bigger smile. "It is true, isn't it!"

I glanced around us, making sure no one was in ear-shot. "Yes, okay, yes, it is true. Syaoran burnt down that old warehouse. But it wasn't really him, it was—it was a different side of him. A different personality."

Her eyes widened. "Whoa. A different personality?" she echoed. I nodded. "Like, a bad ass side of him?"

I nodded again. I felt uneasy telling this to Harumi, but I told myself I had no reason to worry. It _was_ just Harumi, after all. And although I hadn't really seen her in a while, she was still my friend. A close friend. I offered a small smile. "And that 'bad ass' side is seriously scary. It gives me the shivers even thinking about it."

Harumi put her head in her hands dreamily, a blissful smile stretched across her lips. "I think it's pretty _hot._"

My forehead creased immediately and my stomach twisted with what could have been disgust. I stared at her, my jaw slack. "You think it's _hot_ that somewhere in Syaoran's mind is a psychopath?"

"Well, yeah." She looked at me, her eyes narrowed slightly as if in her own attempt to be sexy. "Always a sense of danger when you're around him, never knowing what he's gonna do next . . . ."

"Like kill someone, maybe?" I suggested.

She frowned at me. "Gosh, Sakura, don't be such a downer. Dangerous guys are hot, okay? I bet he smokes, too. Mmm, if only I could kiss him . . . ."

She seemed to be getting lost in some deranged daydream. 'Dangerous guys are hot?' 'I bet he smokes?' 'If only I could kiss him?' She wanted to kiss a smoker? I've heard that's like licking an ashtray. She wanted to kiss a psychopath? I've heard that's like licking a PSYCHOPATH.

She was starting to push my buttons and make me angry again, but I didn't want to be angry with her anymore. I'd neglected her as a friend for a while and I felt bad. She was a little immature at times and I wanted to smack her, but she wasn't a bad person.

I cleared my throat and changed the subject. "How about we hang out at your house tomorrow?"

She snapped out of her reverie and grinned at me. "Sure. Don't worry, I'll clean up for you and everything." She stuck her tongue out playfully at me. I smiled back half-heartedly.

* * *

Syaoran had skipped school that day. He hadn't woken up when his alarm went off, which didn't surprise me, and it didn't really surprise me that I didn't see him in class either. But I'd been hoping he'd come back to his usual self and come to school, which I guess was silly. The real Syaoran hardly ever came around anymore. I wondered what he was going through, trapped inside his own mind.

"I wonder where he is," I murmured to myself, forgetting that Harumi was right next to me.

"Probably off doing some hot bad-boy stuff," she giggled. I clenched my fists; she didn't seem to get that this was serious, not just a movie that was going to turn out okay in the end. I hadn't taken her as the type that was like that.

"I should be getting home now, Harumi," I said wearily, pulling away from the stone steps were sitting on at the front of the school. "Who knows what's happening there?"

"Okay," she replied with a smile, lifting her hand to wave at me as I turned and headed home.

Then suddenly I felt it—that malevolent stare I'd felt days before, like someone was watching me with an immense hatred. I whirled around but I didn't see anyone except for Harumi, who was still waving at me. I made a small wave back and started walking again more quickly, rubbing my arms to make the hairs that had stood on end smooth down again.

* * *

Yelan was the only one home, it appeared, when I got there. She was sitting at the kitchen table, staring into nothing, her fingers wrapped around a glass of ice and some sort of clear alcohol. She didn't appear to be drunk or anything, so I walked over to her slowly.

"Have you seen him today?" I asked quietly, climbing into the chair next to hers.

She shook her head. "Should I go on with my story, Sakura?"

I looked over at her and studied her for a moment. Then I nodded.

She wasted no time. "Syaoran and his 'friend' always looked for attention. It started out as just little pranks, and it seemed to make him happy even being scolded, as long as someone was paying attention to him." She rested her chin in her palm. "I guess no one was really attending to him at that time. We were all busy with our own problems, mostly generated by his father. Fanren was the one who was able to make the most time for him, which I suppose is why his little friend in his mind was modelled after her." She shook her head, her eyes sliding over to look at me. "But then the pranks started getting worse. It went from frogs on the beds to spiders in the girls' shoes. From that to pouring buckets of mud over everyone's clothes in their drawers, to knocking everyone's full plates of food over at dinner time and watching them fall to the ground and shatter before running away. Until eventually they couldn't be passed off as 'pranks.'" Her eyebrows knit together. "One day, he set Feimei's room on fire. While she was still inside."

I couldn't help the gasp that shot from my lips. This was definitely news to me.

She was shaking her head now, her eyes closed. "When I asked him why he did it, he told me that his friend had pressured him to do it. Oh, I just didn't know what to do . . . and his father certainly wasn't any help. I took him to therapists and he was taking some pills . . . ."

"When did it stop?" I asked softly.

"When he decided his friend wasn't very nice, he locked himself in his room again for a few days. When he came out this time, he had three other personalities—and they seemed to be holding the first one back. And finally, after all that, we started seeing less and less of the first one until he finally seemed to disappear," she concluded. "Until now."

I let that sink in before asking another question. "What did he do to Meiling?"

Yelan rubbed her temples with two fingers. "Meiling . . . he did terrible things to Meiling, even though she was three years older."

"Like what?"

"Cut my hair while I slept, beat me up, push me down stairs, make fun of me for my height, slice me open with knives, forks, spoons, whatever he could find." Meiling's voice suddenly joined into the conversation. She was leaning against the fridge door, clenching and unclenching her fists.

"Meiling!" I exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't know you were home!"

She smiled at me, though her eyes were still in the past. "One time, he found the barbecue lighter and held it up to my hand after he taped me to a chair." She unclenched her fist again and held it up with her palm facing Yelan and I. I sucked in a sharp breath; the skin of her hand was browned and there was a pink scar in the centre of her hand. "I try to keep up with tanning so the burn doesn't look so odd . . . ." She looked down at her palm, her head shaking. "He kept the flame there for a long time. My skin blistered and split open—" She cut herself off and started again slowly. "It wasn't pretty, I'll tell you that."

"Oh, my God," I whispered. No wonder she was so frightened of Syaoran.

"Oh, it gets better." There was a bitter tone in Meiling's voice now. "Since he was always taller than me, no matter how much older I was, he'd walk by and bring his jaw down onto the top of my head."

"All right, Meiling," Yelan broke in, standing and putting her glass at the sink. "I think poor Sakura's heard enough."

"Ah—right. Sorry."

"It's okay," I said, waving it off. I walked over to her and put my arms around her. "You really had it rough." She hugged me back.

* * *

**It had to end somewhere. Uhm….sorry. :S This is a pretty shitty chapter and it took a long time to get up too. TT-TT I'm so sorry. Hopefully the next ones will be better. Please leave me a review, tell me what you thought of the chapter, of Syaoran's story, Meiling's story, Harumi….just don't be too harsh. :P Also, I didn't really read it over fully so there might be spelling/grammar mistakes, sorry. **

**GAH...I'M SORRY THIS CHAPTER IS SO TERRIBLE TT_TT**


	15. Emotions

**Multiple Personalities**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

_**Emotions**_

* * *

I heard Syaoran's footsteps outside my door and pressed my ear against the wood. I heard his soft cackling and immediately pulled away, recognising that it wasn't the real Syaoran. Only flickers of him these days.

I brushed out my hair before stepping into the hallway. I let out a cross between a gasp and a shriek when I saw Syaoran leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. I could see his muscles beneath his long-sleeved shirt.

"I didn't realize you were out here," I breathed, my heart rate quickening.

His eyes pierced me, making my stomach roil with nausea. I wrung my hands together nervously.

"Mmm," he said quietly. The corner of his mouth quirked up.

I cleared my throat and turned around. "Bye."

I was surprised when he didn't stop me. I made my way down the stairs at a steady pace, but as soon as I reached the tile floor at the bottom, I ran unsteadily into the living room. The whole way down I had been waiting for him to just push me down the stairs again or something.

I missed the real Syaoran. I missed arguing with him over stupid things and rolling my eyes whenever I saw him and I knew he was looking at me. Whenever I saw him now, he literally struck fear into my heart and made me want to get away from him as soon as possible. To be truthful, it was kinda tearing me apart inside. I guess I hadn't realized just how much Syaoran had wiggled his way into my life.

I felt like ripping my eyes out when I felt the wet warmth of tears slipping down my cheeks. I rubbed harshly at them, feeling so humiliated even though no one was there to see. Why was I being so emotional? I must have been PMSing or something crazy like that.

I barely caught my shriek when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I whirled around and he caught me. My eyes focused on him, his soft, slight smile and half-lidded eyes, partially concealing the warm amber. My heart jumped up to my throat. The real Syaoran . . . it had to have been the real him!

Before my brain could register what was happening, his mouth suddenly pressed up against mine. I inhaled and smelled the hint of his cologne, and the homely aroma of his soap. The bliss turned bitter when I caught the scent of cigarettes and alcohol on top of the more familiar flavours. I frowned and opened my eyes, meeting his, slitted and cruel. I pulled away immediately, feeling embarrassment nearly drown me. His mouth was split into his sharkish smile and it made me feel sick that I had kissed this side of him.

I raised my hand and slapped him clean across the cheek, feeling the tingle of it in my fingers. I turned and ran, and I must admit that I was in tears as I rushed up the stairs to the safety of my room.

I slammed the door behind me and pressed my back against it, my hands shaking in anger. That guy was such a jerk! I could not believe he'd just done that to me!

I put my face in my hands. That was not the way I'd wanted my first kiss with Syaoran to be.

I mean, not that I had been thinking about that or anything.

I was immediately bombarded with all the times he'd—the REAL Syaoran, not this crazy psycho bitch-of-a-personality-Syaoran—made my heart skip or made my cheeks warm, and multiple other kinds of mushy things like that that I never would have thought I'd be hearing from myself.

But still—

Ahh, screw it.

I was pretty much in love with him.

* * *

After sitting in my room, staring blankly for a while, I decided to call Tomoyo. I needed to just rant to her.

"Sakura?" Her bell-chime voice rang through my ear.

"Syaoran—I—he—" I didn't know where to start. Thinking about it again made moisture fuzz up my vision. "He's such a dickface!"

Tomoyo snorted on the other end.

I clenched my hand into a fist. "Syaoran needs to get his ass in gear and kick the evil Syaoran out! The evil Syaoran is such a JERK! I was thinking about the real Syaoran and how much I miss him and then he came up behind me and pretended to be the real Syaoran and KISSED ME and when I booked that it was the evil Syaoran I slapped him and he basically gave me the trollolol face and I ran away but I hate him so much!" My words came out in a rush and the volume of my voice increased with each word until I was shouting by the end of my extra-long sentence.

Tomoyo was silent on the other end until she let out a small giggle. My face flushed.

"So," she said in an almost sing-song voice, "we've decided we like Syaoran now, have we?"

"NO. YES. NO. Stop making this confusing!"

She snorted again. "I'm sorry, who's making it confusing?"

I dragged my hand down my face. "Fine," I mumbled. "Yes. A lot."

She understood what I meant and I could almost hear her excited grin. Then she let out a big squeal. "Tell me—"

I cut her off quickly, my face burning with embarrassment. "I'm going to Harumi's, see you later." With that, I hung up.

* * *

Soon after I was stepping out of my room again, ready to head over to Harumi's. Maybe I could rant about Syaoran to her, too. I was still fuming.

I walked lightly down the stairs, and when I reached the bottom I saw that Syaoran was still in the kitchen. He heard me coming and turned to look at me. When evil Syaoran took over, his face seemed more pointed, his lips looked thinner and longer, and his hair seemed even more dishevelled that it was normally, almost in the way that a crazy scientist would have it. And don't even get me started on his eyes.

I couldn't believe I'd fallen for his trick. He was nothing like Syaoran. I wanted to kick myself and I felt even angrier when tears reappeared along my eyes.

He smiled sharkishly at me and tipped his head to one side. His hair fell to cover some of his face and it irked me, even then. He opened his mouth to say something, probably some snarky comment, but I rudely cut him off.

"Don't. Talk. To me." The cold acid in my voice surprised even me. My eyes had narrowed into vicious slits and my jaw was set defiantly. I grasped the feeling of satisfaction I got from the look on his face. It boosted my confidence even further and made my voice even more hostile. "I. HATE. You."

And I did. With all of my heart, I hated this Syaoran—no, not Syaoran at all; I hated this _thing _with all of my heart and I wanted it gone. I wanted _Syaoran _back.

His eyebrows had driven together and his eyes were wide. For once they didn't make me shudder, and I looked directly into them. An invigorating thought that maybe I was even scaring _him_ went through me and deepened the feeling of triumph I was getting from this moment. His mouth hung open and it looked like he was fumbling for words but just couldn't find them.

I leered at him with a message that went unspoken. _I will get rid of you. I will get Syaoran back. _

And with one last thunderous glare, I turned and swept out of the house.

* * *

Harumi greeted me with a smile and a hug when I arrived. She led me into her bedroom and plopped down, belly-first, onto her bed. I collapsed onto the floor, my knees folded underneath me, propping my arms up on her bed. She rambled on about something for a while, but I wasn't paying attention. Syaoran was the only thing going through my mind.

How was I supposed to get him back? Originally, strong emotions and physical shocks sent him to a different personality. I didn't think anything physical was going to bring him back, though. But what was something incredibly emotional that I could say to him that I could really get through to him with? It seemed nearly impossible that anything could through to _him. _But maybe I could do something that would get through to the real Syaoran, something to jolt him back. The only problem was, I had no idea what would be strong enough to do that . . .

"Sakura. Sakura!" Harumi's sharp chirp snapped me out of my daydreams. I looked up at her, feeling slightly dazed.

"I-I'm sorry," I mumbled, my cheeks feeling a little warm, "I got lost in my thoughts."

Harumi let out a sigh, then put her cheek in her palm, sending me a small smile. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I lied quickly.

She raised an eyebrow cynically.

I worried at my bottom lip uncomfortably. The room smelled weird because of the incense she was burning. I don't know why she picked that scent, it wasn't pretty at all. "Okay, well . . . it's Syaoran."

Both eyebrows went up this time. She leaned forward, her interest suddenly piqued. It kinda stung to see that she hadn't really cared until I'd mentioned Syaoran. "Do tell."

"Well . . . I kissed him. That is, he kissed me. In his psycho evil form, but I thought it was the real him . . . ," I started, my words starting to trip over each other.

Harumi's eyes darkened and I felt even more uncomfortable. But we were friends, and friends shared secrets. She was already on to me, so why stop now?

"And even though it was the psycho side of him, the kiss made me realize how much I miss the real Syaoran . . . and I think . . . I like him. A lot." The look she was giving me was making my throat dry. When I swallowed my mouth was like sandpaper. Did she want more? Was I holding back? My head was pounding now. Something was off here. Everything seemed to be happening so fast. Was I getting a fever? What was that smell? "Maybe I love him?"

Crap. That definitely wasn't the right thing to say. Harumi's eyes were slitted now, her mouth set in a harsh line. Her face was stony. She stood up from the bed, looking down at me with that scary expression.

"You love him, huh?" She was speaking in a low voice. I couldn't hear her very well over the pounding in my head. She walked over to her desk. Her back was to me now; I couldn't tell what she was doing. "Wrong." She turned around. She was holding something now. It looked like the lamp that had been perched in the corner of her desk. She stepped closer to me but in my groggy state I didn't sense very much danger. I totally should have though. "_I love him._" Her voice was a harsh whisper, full of unexpected anger. Then she let out a hateful, aggressive scream and everything went black.

* * *

**Please feel free to eat me alive. I haven't updated in so long because I kind of lost the will to write for a while and I've just been pecking away at this chapter. Also, I've been busy with school and whatnot, but that's always an excuse, isn't it? I didn't want to force myself to write because it wouldn't turn out good. But either way, this chapter sucked. :/**

**But what did you guys think of it? I hope you haven't forgotten about me, but I don't blame you if you have. D: They kissed…but it wasn't really him. ;_; Oh Syaoran. Hurry back. Sakura has done some admitting to herself, and now Harumi's a psycho bitch too? What the hell is going on here?**

**:P But please, please review, and tell me what you think. Thank you all so much for reading! **


	16. Exposure

**Multiple Personalities**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

_**Exposure**_

* * *

My nerves squealed in surprise when they were met with a spray of ice cold water. My eyelids snapped open and I sucked in a raspy breath. I looked up at Harumi, who was standing ominously over me with a hose in her hands. I glanced around; we appeared to be in a severely burned room. My eyes landed back on Harumi, and a rope she held in her hands. The rope led along the floor space between us up to my neck.

Instead of feeling fear, a wave of anger throbbed through me. "GOD DAMMIT!" I yelled. "WHY DO MY FRIENDS ALWAYS WANT TO GOD DAMN KILL ME?"

Harumi's face looked dark and twisted. She yanked the rope in her hands and it tightened around my neck. I gasped; I could feel every pulse now, beginning to struggle against the obstacle in its path.

"Shut up."

I swallowed hard as I met Harumi's gaze. Looking into her eyes now, they almost looked like _his. _Thinking back, it was probably a good thing that I'd experienced _his _eyes before, or Harumi's might've frightened me more. I didn't understand why hers held such hate, though. Such anger. Such insanity.

"Why are you . . . ?" I started, conjuring up my most pleading face. Maybe I could win her over again with some mushy friend stuff.

Her knuckles were turning white, she was gripping the rope so hard. She looked like she was about to pop a vein or have an aneurysm or something scary like that.

"Why do you think?" she demanded in a low, shaky voice. Clearly, she was trying to keep calm.

I pondered for a few seconds, watching her carefully. "Syaoran?" I whispered finally.

She pulled the rope slightly tighter. I inhaled cautiously, stealing a glance down at it. "Correct," she sneered.

"But—we're friends, Harumi-chan," I reminded her. "Are you sure you want to do this just because of Syaoran? What about all the fun things we've—"

She yanked the rope again, but luckily the slack area absorbed it and the circle around my neck didn't contract too much. I controlled my breathing even though my heartbeat had begun to speed up.

"I've hated you since long before Syaoran came into the picture," she said, leaning closer to me. "I've hated you from the moment I first saw you."

"Wh-what?" I sputtered. "Then why did you befriend me? Was our entire friendship a lie?"

"Of course," she said simply. "I became friends with you because I had this feeling when I saw you. Like if I got close to you, I'd get something good out of it. But, to balance it out, I suppose, I felt such a great hatred towards you that it made me sick to even look at you."

A lump had formed in my throat. Despite having her downs, her very low downs, I had enjoyed Harumi's company for the most part. And it hurt to hear that she hadn't enjoyed a single fraction of it, that she'd actually _hated _me since her first glimpse of me.

She was staring into the distance now. "Yes . . . I always knew something good would come from you . . . ."

Now my thoughts were on the crazy parts of what she was saying. She 'had a feeling' that 'something good' would come from hanging out with me? What the hell was she talking about? Was she a psycho now, too?

Then my stomach started to knot as another realization came to me. If she was capable of hating me so much, but befriending me on a whim that she'd get something from it, then what was she planning with the rope around my neck . . . ?

I swallowed again, hard, my mouth feeling like cotton. The rope was starting to make me feel dizzy. "Harumi . . . why is there a rope around my neck?"

"Good question." Suddenly, she grabbed my face roughly with her hand and leaned forward, even closer. The pressure from her fingers was crushing my cheeks against my teeth so hard I think they started to bleed. "I'm going to hang you with it. And it's going to seem like you killed yourself. You're even going to write yourself a suicide note!"

"I see," was all I could say with her smothering my face. It must have been too simple of an answer or something, because her eyes got even smaller and crazier. She ripped her hand away painfully from my face, stepping back with a flourishing movement.

"The good thing that I got from you was Syaoran. It's destiny that we were meant to be together. I loved him from the moment I saw him, and when you told me about his disorder, it just hit me that much harder that we were in love. We just belong together. The doctor's tell me I have a mental disorder, too. It's a gift from God to signal that we have a fate together."

As she rambled on and on, my fear increased. I was so certain no one would come for me. No one knew where I was. I'd only told Tomoyo that I was going to Harumi's, and now we weren't even at Harumi's house anymore. Was I actually going to die here? Was I seriously about to be murdered by a psychotic teenager who I thought was my friend?

My breathing was becoming more rapid and panic was starting to set in. In her rant of madness she'd pulled the rope even more taut and I could barely keep my eyes open anymore. It was a struggle not to cry.

"I couldn't take it when you were gushing about your kiss with Syaoran," Harumi continued, pacing and snapping the rope as if it were a whip. "All my anger just boiled over and burst out—and I feel so good that it did." She bent down in front of me. "I was the one who told everyone about you and Syaoran being engaged. I was the one glaring at you behind your back. I was the one cursing you and throwing you into fits of nightmares each night—"

I didn't remember the nightmare thing, so she must have been doing some witchcraft voodoo shit as well. Great. I bet she sold her soul to a demon, also, and it wanted her first born son.

I remembered that when the school had found out about my engagement to Syaoran, Harumi had been in the bathroom, and she'd come back crying. I'd comforted her while she cried fake tears. I remembered her waving giddily to me when I'd turned around after feeling that horrible glare. I'd smiled and waved back even though she wanted to burn a hole through my skull with that glare.

Come to think of it, Tomoyo had never liked Harumi. And Harumi had never seen the good in Tomoyo, either. Huh. Leave it to Tomoyo to have it all figured out. (Toya never liked her either, actually!)

Maybe Tomoyo had a hunch about today, too. Maybe she'd come looking for me if I was gone too long? But there'd be no way for her to find me. aruHarumi had relocated us completely. Without moving my head, I looked around the room. The walls were black and there were boards covering the doorway, partially ripped apart to let us in. There were also boards covering what I assumed was a window. The hose she'd been holding had been snaked through a crack.

Suddenly I knew where I was. I was in the old abandoned warehouse, yet again. What had I done that last time I'd been held hostage here?

I almost died when I remembered the necklace Wei had given me. The beeper. The wings—if I could get to them, I could press them and someone could come and save me!

My heart was pounding again, and I think I had a rush of adrenaline because it wasn't so hard to stay awake all of a sudden. I hid my excitement, my hope, and tried to think of a way to push the button without letting Harumi know. She had begun to pace again, still rambling on about her love and her hatred. Her words were coming out quicker, beginning to trip over each other. Perhaps she was getting nervous?

My stomach knotted again when I realized that she would only be getting nervous because she would be killing me soon.

My head started throbbing and the panic came back, mixed with the adrenaline. Without thinking, I smashed my chin down onto my chest and heard the slightest beep to let me know that I'd successfully hit the button on my necklace. Relief started to flow through me.

Harumi looked back at me. "What are you doing?"

"I—" _Think of something. Quick! _"I'm just trying to keep myself awake."

She stared at me with such intensity it chilled me through to the bone. Her eyes seemed to look right inside of me, and I was almost afraid she'd see that I'd just contacted Syaoran.

And then my heart dropped again. What if Syaoran didn't come for me this time? There was no way he'd come to save me. Although, the first time he'd appeared, he'd gotten me away from those thugs he was talking to. But then again, that _was _the first time he'd appeared and he seemed to get worse and worse every time he appeared. Plus I'd just told him never to talk to me again and that I hated him.

Ohh, shit!

Wei! At least Wei would get the message, right? But what if Syaoran tried to stop him!

Harumi walked towards me, pulling my noose tighter with each step until I saw spots. She shoved her face into mine, and all I could see were her eyes, dark and twisted. They reminded me so much of _his._ Like a less intense version. Maybe they would be perfect for each other, after all. They were both completely insane and had eyes that could send a shiver down my spine. And they both had ways of covering it up; _his _was more involuntary, but Harumi could just smile and pretend everything away. In a way, that could almost make her more terrifying than _him. _

"You have no idea how thirst quenching this is for me," she whispered hoarsely. My breathing had become so ragged, so quick that I was probably hyperventilating. And I do not blame myself. The black dots were getting bigger, and I could barely hear her for the blood rushing in my ears, pounding so hard that it was painful—

Harumi jerked backwards, and she screamed in surprise. The rope was yanked out of her hands and wrapped around her slender neck. I tried my best to look past the dots in my vision at the person doing the strangling.

My heart leapt but my stomach dropped to my feet when I saw Syaoran's figure looming behind Harumi, his corded arms stretching the rope and ignoring Harumi's squeaks of protest.

"But—Syaoran—" she choked; her voice was high pitched and muffled. "We're—meant for each—other—"

He made a notorious grunting sound. I looked hard into his face, my noose seeming easy and loose compared to hers now. I knew it.

His eyes were shrinking and expanding at an extraordinary rate. The veins at his temples were bulging out, appearing as if they could've been bruises, and I could clearly see each of his heart beats rush through them. The muscles in his neck and jaw were strained in a dreadful way and he was beaded in sweat. His teeth were clenched together so hard it looked like they could shatter at any moment.

"Syaoran!" I croaked as loudly as I could. Maybe I could get through to him while he was in this state! "Syaoran, stop, you're going to kill her!"

His head snapped up to look up at me. I focused on his eyes and said again, softer and calmer, "Syaoran, please stop. Let go of her, and come help me."

He made another pained groan and I heard him take in some deep breaths before he finally dropped the rope. Harumi fell to the ground, landing with a hard thud on her knees. She gasped hungrily at the air and made faint whimpering sounds.

Syaoran rushed over to me and started working at my little noose. His motions were jerky, as if the other Syaoran was trying to pull back, or pull the noose tighter.

He reached into his pocket after determining that he couldn't loosen it with his hands. A pocket-knife glinted in his fingers, and it was soon at my face. I went cross-eyed staring at it, breaking into a sweat. Syaoran's eyes were still changing size rapidly; what if _he _took over and just decided to cut me!

A sharp squeal escaped my lips when the blade surged toward me. There was a small tearing sound and suddenly all of the pressure from the rope was gone. At first I held my breath, but I quickly gulped in a truckload of air, my heart thudding against my chest sorely. The black dots cleared up quickly enough, and as soon as I felt semi-normal again, I whirled around to Syaoran, who was squatting with his head between his knees, apparently trying to rip his hair out.

I rushed over to him and he raised his head. I looked into his eyes; they seemed to be almost normal. I put my hands gingerly on either side of his face and was taken aback by how feverish he felt; he was . . . _feverishly _feverish. Like, it almost felt dangerous!

My heart sped up again. What is it _was _dangerous? I brushed his hair back away from his eyes. He was panting and seemed to be concentrating hard on keeping _him _away.

"Syaoran," I whispered, tapping his cheek lightly. "Syaoran."

"Sakura," he moaned, his eyes finding their way to me. They were on the verge of being completely still. I recognized the particular light in them, the full, rich colour that I hadn't seen in so long. Butterflies floated around in my stomach when he said my name. It sounds silly, I know, but I was so scared and so relieved at that moment that the slightest things were making me happy. Seeing his muscles relax, his small smile, his hair away from his face.

Tears were spilling out of my eyes now. "You're gonna be okay, Syaoran." I wasn't sure if that was a statement, a question; reassuring him or reassuring me.

"Stupid woman," he murmured, scrambling to his feet. An unmistakable grin was tugging at his mouth. He held out his hand for me and helped me up, too. We were standing very close; our bodies were so close to touching. I was locked in his gaze, and he was in mine, his hand hovering over my arm, as if he were debating whether to pull me in or not. I was shaking, holding back from throwing my arms around his neck.

The tension was about to be broken as I could tell he and I were both on the brink of bursting into laughter. Who'd have guessed the two of us would end up here, having no other desire but each other?

….Okay well, maybe we were the only ones who hadn't guessed that. But still.

Anyway, the tension was broken for us when Harumi let out an ear-piercing shriek. Wincing, I looked over at her incredulously. What was she up to _now? _

"Are you trying to deafen us or something?" Syaoran growled.

"Get away from her!" Harumi huffed, a sprinkle of red creeping up her neck and into her cheeks.

"Don't tell me what to do," Syaoran responded, a crease appearing between his eyebrows.

"Syaoran," I warned. We did _not _need him turning back into a psycho in the presence of another.

"If you don't get away from him right now, Sakura, I swear I will cut you until you have NO skin left, and then I'll tie this noose around your neck—" she cracked the rope-turned-noose like a whip— "and HANG you and set a FIRE AROUND YOUR SKINNED ANKLES!"

Silence hung in the air as if were a strong physical force. Harumi's voice had risen into an unstable screech and it echoed around the room a few times. Her face was now completely scarlet and she was clamping her teeth together so harshly her jaw seemed to be trembling.

Syaoran had gone rigged beside me, the hand around my waist now fisted and tense. I glanced up at his face; my stomach bunched into a tangle of fear when I saw that his eyes were dilating and contracting. They were moving at a relatively slow rate, as if they were mirroring his heart beat, which gave me a slight hope. Maybe he could keep control this time?

"Don't ever talk to her like that again," he commanded in a dreadfully low voice.

Harumi inhaled and exhaled deeply, her nostrils flaring and her eyes dilating in anger. She opened her mouth and wailed again, and this time I actually covered my ears. "THIS ISN'T HOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE!" she screamed, picking up the stool (whose purpose, I assumed, was for me to stand on while I was being hanged; and then it would be kicked out from under me) and whipping it with a lot of might at the wall beside her. It banged loudly against the wall, disrupting a layer of soot, and clattered to the floor. Every noise seemed extraordinarily loud in this room and it almost hurt to listen to her howl and throw things.

"Calm down," I said, holding my hands out in what I thought to be a 'calming' gesture. "Please, Harumi, you need to calm down."

"Do not tell me to calm down," she growled back through gritted teeth. She reached into her sweater's pocket and withdrew a knife. The knife she had wasn't anything like Syaoran's; hers was something from a kitchen's silverware set with astoundingly dull teeth. She wielded it with two shaking hands, holding it in front of her. "You stupid SLUT! You—bitch! I'm going to KILL YOU!"

She charged at me with her butter knife, raising it above her head in a ready-to-stab position. I froze up, had no idea what to do, where to go, what to think. I got ready for my death by butter knife, when suddenly she wasn't running anymore. Syaoran had come up behind her and wrapped one arm around her torso, the other holding his pocket-knife to her throat.

"My knife is prettier than yours," he whispered with a twisted grin. My blood ran cold. It looked like he was almost completely _him. _

"Syaoran, darling," she said, delicately brushing her fingers over the part of his arm that was holding her, "you wouldn't really hurt _me, _would you? If I get rid of her, we can be together forever like we always wanted."

He let out a laugh that was bordering on a howl, and while it set my nerves on edge, it looked like Harumi was, like, comforted by it or something creepy like that. "And when have I ever really _talked _to you?"

Harumi almost seemed offended. "You talked to me a lot at school!"

Syaoran groaned; it had an exaggerated, theatrical effect, and he rolled his eyes. "When have I ever really _talked _to you without solely paying attention to Little Miss Damsel in Distress here?" He carelessly waved his knife towards me, and despite the situation, I felt a blush burn into my cheeks.

Harumi's jaw fell open and her crazy-eye gaze fell on me. I associated her stare with getting pricked by hundreds of needles and it led me to wonder if none of my friends actually liked me.

"I hate you," she whispered. Though her lips had barely moved to form the words, I still felt like I'd been run over by a bicycle.

I opened my mouth and scrambled through my brain in an attempt to find something to say back to that, but I couldn't. She hated me. There _was _nothing to say to that that was good enough.

Syaoran jerked her head back suddenly, and pressed the flat of the blade to the light skin on her neck. A thin line of scarlet bloomed at the tip of the silver, and glided across the knife's sharp edge as if it were a wordless threat. He seemed fascinated by the blood, and a grin formed at the corners of his mouth. My heart was pounding rigorously against my chest, and I was feeling feverish as I watched the situation in front of me unfold. Syaoran was ready to dig the knife right into her jugular and I had no idea what to do about it—things were getting blurry again, moving quickly—my body felt immensely heavy—

"SYAORAN DON'T!" I blurted out in an unexpectedly high pitched voice. He looked up in surprise, as did Harumi; she almost got herself cut from the sudden jolting movement.

Without warning, the hand with the pocket-knife was yanked back and Syaoran stumbled backwards. His grip loosened and finally fell away from Harumi, and her knees gave way beneath her.

Tomoyo was gripping Syaoran's hand with both of her own, holding it out of reach along with the knife. Eriol's arms slipped under his shoulders and braced him in a headlock. Syaoran's arm begun to shake suddenly and his fingers spread apart forcefully, letting the knife clatter shrilly to the ground. Tomoyo bent to pick it up quickly as Harumi was recollecting herself and clambering to her feet, rage evident on her face.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU ALL!" she shrieked, flailing her arms about violently. She screeched out something else, but it was so incredibly maniacal that I couldn't decipher her words anymore. She turned abruptly on me, and started to take a step towards me, but Tomoyo was faster. She was in front of Harumi in a raven-haired blur, taking the other girl by surprise and causing her to stumble backwards a step.

"I always knew there was nothing good about you," Tomoyo growled fiercely, creasing her perfect, porcelain doll-like composure in a deep scowl. Then she pulled back her arm and launched it forward, fingers folded into a fist, ramming it into Harumi's nose with a sickening crunch. Again she collapsed to the ground, blood bursting from her nostrils and through her fingers as she held her face.

Tomoyo whirled around on her heels to face me again, beaming like the beautiful entity she was. I couldn't help laughing and grinning back, though it hurt to do so and my entire body was throbbing.

I tried to ignore the pain and started to stand; I wobbled unsteadily and plummeted back to the ground. Tomoyo helped me sit up; I could barely see straight, my head was pounding so hard. I guess I should've expected that from the knockout by Harumi's lamp.

I shook away my own pain momentarily and looked over at Syaoran. He was squatting on the ground again, with his head between his knees. Eriol was watching over him cautiously. Powering through the pain, I got to my feet and rushed over to him, putting my arms around him and hugging him almost violently. I didn't notice my tears until he raised his fingers to wipe them gently away.

"You're hurt," he stated, looking at me with those big amber eyes.

"That's not why I'm crying," I whispered back.

His brows pulled into a frown and I felt him recoil from my hug. "Maybe you should stay away from me. I could change back and try to hurt you again—"

"No," I blurted. I touched his face lightly, enjoying the sensation of my nerves singing when they neared him. "There's no need for you to change. I know why you even started changing in the first place; you felt unloved, not needed." I saw in his eyes that that struck him inside. I kept on before he could start talking. "And that's why there's no need for you to change anymore. Because you _are _loved, and you _are _needed, no matter what your dad ever said to you. Your dad doesn't matter. The people at school love you. Your mom loves you. Your sisters love you. Tomoyo, and Eriol, all of our friends—they love you. So many people love you, and need you." I swallowed; my throat felt dry and a sweat had broken out on my palms. My voice dropped to a murmur, and I pressed my forehead against his. "_I _love you, Syaoran. _I _need you. And I always will so you don't ever need to change back again."

Without thinking, I entangled my fingers into his hair and pulled his face close to mine, thrusting my lips a little too eagerly against his. This kiss was immensely superior to the one earlier that day; this kiss was so much softer, so much warmer; his scent was intoxicating and there was no sign of cigarettes or alcohol. Just soap, and light cologne, and sexiness.

When we parted we were both breathing heavily. Syaoran was wearing a huge grin and looked flustered, which made me feel accomplished in having destroyed his "cool guy" demeanour; he was just absolutely giddy.

"What a coincidence, eh, woman," he said, "because I just happen to be in love with you too." He kissed me again, and I felt a butterfly of pure joy blossom in my stomach, and I couldn't help smiling hugely against his lips.

Eriol cleared his throat loudly, and the sound echoed around the room. Syaoran and I both glanced over at him, flushing deep shades of scarlet. Eriol was wearing a smirk as he looked down at us, and I thought of the first time I'd met him, how I'd wanted to be all "up on him" to make Syaoran jealous. And how it had worked. And how drunk we'd both been. And where we were now. Quite the trip.

"Maybe you should stop making out," Tomoyo suggested, spreading her hands, "and we can take you both to the hospital, huh?"

I bit back a giggle and struggled to my feet. When I put weight on it, my ankle flared with pain. "Dammit," I cursed under my breath.

I was leaning on Tomoyo, Syaoran on Eriol, and we were just about to leave the room when a moaning behind us caught our attention. We turned back in unison to see Harumi standing on wobbly legs, one hand balancing her, the other holding her bloodied nose. "Wait," she moaned again. "Please take me with you."

"Why the hell should we take you?" Syaoran spat, and I caught Eriol pat his back warningly.

"You have no right to get help, especially from us," Tomoyo seethed. Her knuckles were taut and white, she was squeezing them so hard. It was actually nice to see that she really did care about me.

I let out a long sigh. But I didn't really want to see this happen, especially since I'd been friends with Harumi for over a year.

"All right, you can come with us," I declared, and the other three all shot me weird looks. "But if you try to kill us, you can forget about it."

She nodded her head quickly and feebly, and I turned around completely, Tomoyo rotating with me. I held out my hand and she took it, pulling herself all the way up to her feet, and I just as quickly dropped it when she was standing. Then we finally made our way out the door together, though Harumi had to hobble by herself as no one particularly felt like supporting her.

When we were back out on the street nausea was roiling dangerously in my stomach and I felt like I was going to be sick at any instant. My sight was going blurry again and the world around me was spinning viciously. I stumbled for a few more steps before the pavement came swirling up to my face and everything went dark.

* * *

**WHEW! I hope that chapter was long enough for you. ****:) Best have been, cause I worked hard on it! 8 pages. XD I hope it was good. :) Next chapter will most probably be the last; I intended to keep this story short and sweet so it wouldn't drag out and turn shitty like The New Teacher did. ;D Not sure if "exposure" was a good name for this chapter, but I was really stuck on what to call it so I went with that because of Harumi revealing her hate and her plans, and Sakura and Syaoran admitting they loved each other :P Please leave a review, telling me what you think of the chapter and of Harumi, and thanks so much for reading!**


	17. Final Chapter

**Multiple Personalities**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

_**Final Chapter**_

* * *

After a while of listening to people bustling around and the sound of IV's beeping, I was finally able to drag my eyes open. I glanced around the room; I was in the only bed in the room, and immediately deduced that Yelan had gotten me a private room. I used my arms to push myself upright, but everything started spinning as a wave of dizziness crashed over me. Suddenly there were hands on my shoulders, easing me backwards until I was lying down again.

"Don't try to sit up yet," the doctor said, stating the obvious.

I nodded and looked down at myself. There was a bandage wrapped around my ankle, and a tube going into the back of my hand that was connected to the intravenous. My neck was stiff when I tried to move it. "What's the damage, exactly?" I asked, my voice raspy. I cleared my throat and it burned.

"Sprained ankle, stressed neck, couple popped blood vessels. Oh, and a nasty bump on your head. But overall, you should be fine."

"Okay, thank you. And . . . how is Syaoran?"

She side glanced at me. "He's still sleeping. After your little troupe arrived, he passed out as well. We're going to start him on some pills for his disorder; it's best to strike after some emotional trauma. We're gonna keep him here for a couple of nights."

"How long am I going to be here?"

"We're keeping you overnight, just to make sure you don't go into shock or anything."

I opened my mouth to protest, but quickly closed it, thinking that it would make me feel more comfortable if I could stay here and keep an eye on Syaoran.

Shortly after the doctor left, I found I could sit up, and Tomoyo came dancing in, a smile plastered to her face. "Sakura, you're awake!" She pounced on me in a fierce hug. It sent a shot of pain through my neck and head, but I didn't say anything, just smiled. "How're you feeling?"

"I've been better," I sighed, "but I'm okay."

Tomoyo glanced around, then held out her hand. Winking, she whispered, "Let's go see him."

I nodded and smiled, taking her hand and using it to pull myself up. The dizziness washed over me again and I fell against Tomoyo. She wrapped her arm around my waist lightly, holding me steady. "Are you okay? Do you want to wait?"

I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the dizziness to go away, and shook my head. "Now." She chuckled and took on most of my weight as we made our way down the hall to Syaoran's room. By the time we reached his door, I had cleared my head and was able to walk with minimal support from Tomoyo.

I looked down at him, sleeping peacefully on the hospital bed. His chest rose and fell in a delicate pattern and I wondered if it was the most peaceful sleep he'd had in a while.

"We're taking this chance to jump his multiple personality disorder." The doctor's voice was so unexpected I jerked in surprise and my ankle and head throbbed in response. I looked over at him, motioning for him to go on. "He's been through some serious emotional trauma in the last few days, and was especially stressed today, I understand. So while he's unstable we're trying to make the extra personalities disappear. Hopefully, by the time he's discharged, he can be back to being just his normal self."

_Just his normal self, huh. _I glanced over at Syaoran again. I bet it would be such a weight off his shoulders if he were the only one occupying his body and mind. A smile made it's way to my lips, and I thanked the doctor.

I was not expecting what I got when Tomoyo and I returned to my room. A slew of kids from school were standing around, holding teddy bears, balloons and cards. My jaw fell open as they all shouted "Surprise!"

"What—what the hell are you all doing here?" I asked, not knowing what else to say.

"Charming as always," Rika giggled.

"We're here for a get well soon party, of course!" Chiharu exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air.

Tomoyo helped me through the crowd over to my bed. "Let her settle down," she laughed. "She is still injured, after all."

Suddenly there was a mountain of teddy bears at the foot of my bed, an elaborate array of cards set up in various places around the room, and stray balloons resting against the ceiling. "When did I get so popular?" I demanded, a confused, goofy grin stretching across my lips.

"Who really knows?" Chiharu proclaimed dramatically.

"Maybe when you started hanging out with Tomoyo and her girls."

The room went silent at the addition of a new voice. My eyes lifted up to see Harumi standing sheepishly in the doorway, clutching her elbow awkwardly under our classmates' leers.

"What do you want?" someone demanded.

I could've sworn she flinched. She had a bandage around her neck and band-aids in various other places. She had a couple bruises, as well. "That was rude. Sorry."

I cleared my throat, feeling the awkward way down to my bones. "Uhm, Harumi . . . ."

"That's—that's why I'm here," she blurted, looking extremely uncomfortable. "To apologize."

"We're waiting," another voice drawled, clearly skeptical.

"Come on, now," I said. Harumi looked near tears, and I felt sort of bad.

"Sakura, I'm really sorry for everything I've done to you . . . the doctors gave me some medicine—"

"I thought you didn't want to take medicine?" Tomoyo interjected, her face stony.

"I was asleep!" The words came out in a high-pitched, stressed voice, and I saw her clench her hands tightly. "But I realize just how off the edge I was and I'm starting to see all of the holes in my logic . . ." She bit her lip and looked me directly in the eye. I could still see her pure dislike for me in them, but I could also see the sincerity in her apology. "I'm very sorry for hurting you and Syaoran. I shouldn't have done what I did, and I hope you can forgive me."

"There's no way she'll forgive you!"

"Look at what you did to her, you psycho!" The random voices from across the room were beginning to get on my nerves.

I glanced up at Tomoyo. She was looking at me, and I could tell that she still hated Harumi and wouldn't forgive her personally. But I could also tell that she knew what I would say.

I met Harumi's eyes again with a neutral expression. "You've caused me a lot of pain and suffering, Harumi." She nodded. I could feel the tension seeping from everyone in the room. "But I forgive you. Thank you for apologizing." My classmates looked at me in awe. "Now get out. And don't ever speak to me again."

She nodded and dashed out of the room, looking thoroughly embarrassed. It seemed a weight had been lifted off of my own shoulders.

* * *

I woke with a start that night, and looked at the figure in the doorway. I sat up immediately, the dizziness no where near as bad as it had been that afternoon. "Syaoran."

He smiled quirkily at me, one corner of his mouth raised higher than the other. He had one arm resting against the IV attached to his hand, and he was leaning against the doorframe. The light from the hallway illuminated his outline in gold. It amazed me that even in a hospital gown, this guy still looked cool.

"Like my new ride?" he asked, patting the intravenous.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Sure. Way to wake me up."

He walked over to my bed and sat down beside me. "I'll take initiative and invite myself in." He looked down at my bandaged ankle. "What's wrong with you?"

"Sprained ankle, stressed neck, popped blood vessel here and there . . . the usual. But I'm fine, really. What really got me was the whole strangling me with a noose thing," I told him with a nonchalant shrug. I was more worried about him. "How are you feeling?"

He turned and looked at me, and I realized his face was very close to mine. My heart started to beat a bit faster. "What really got me," he said, in a barely audible voice, "was the 'I love you' part."

Goosebumps raised along my arms. "What do you mean?" I whispered back, my cool and collected side draining away.

"I mean I haven't stopped thinking about it. And, well . . . ." He smiled crookedly up at me again. "I haven't stopped thinking about you for a long time."

I felt my face flush scarlet and scrambled to think of something to say but the only thing I was thinking about was his skin tone, and the way he smelt, how his smooth collar bone was showing from under the gown. And then suddenly he was kissing me and I almost exploded with my craving for him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and his hand went to my waist as we fell back onto the pillows. It was like a dream – well, plus hospital gowns . . . .

We separated in a gasp for air, and I noticed that the IV's had been beeping. We tried to sit up but the chords had gotten tangled and thus it was a struggle. Eventually we manoeuvred out of it without ripping the needles right out of our hands, but I must tell you, we ended up in some odd positions to do so.

Uhm, anyways, Syaoran went back to his room and left me with a goodnight kiss. Lying back on my bed, the last thing I felt before falling asleep was the tingle on my lips.

* * *

Footsteps pounded in the hallway and a notorious beeping sound was coming from another room, waking me. I looked at the clock; three fifteen in the morning. What could possibly be going on?

I threw my legs over the side of the bed and balanced on my IV machine. I stepped lightly into the hallway, my feet freezing from the cold floor. Glancing around, my heart sank; all the business was in Syaoran's room. The doctors running in and the beeping coming out. I picked up the pace and limped as quickly as I could over to him.

I stood, horrified, in the doorway, watching the doctors contemplate what was happening to him and fret about what to do about it. His heart monitor was beating at an extremely fast rate and the nurses were clearly freaking out about it. They put an oxygen mask over his face, which was sweaty and screwed up in pain.

"Doctor, what's going on?" I frantically grabbed one of the doctor's sleeves, my voice cracking.

"I—I don't really know, to be honest," he replied, a drop of sweat rolling down his cheek. He looked over at Syaoran, concerned and confused. "He was doing great and now suddenly he's in critical condition."

"Critical condition!" My grip on his sleeve tightened.

He let out a sigh. "Yes. Now I'm sorry, but maybe you should go back to your room and rest, Miss Kinomoto."

A lump was forming in my throat, a rock that I couldn't swallow. "No, I can't, he's—"

The beeping got even faster, and one of the nurses was crying. The machine couldn't even keep up with how fast his heart was beating. The doctor I was holding on to rushed over to it and talked to another doctor, who was shaking his head.

I looked back at Syaoran, petrified. What was going on? Was he going to be okay! He had to be!

_Syaoran! _I wanted to call. _What's happening inside you! _

Without warning, everything stopped. The noise, the talking, the bustling. It all went still and silent. The heart monitor had stopped. There was no more beeping. Just a straight line and a soft, continuous buzz.

"His heart stopped," the doctor whispered. "He's de—"

I blocked the rest out, feeling my stomach churn with nausea. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be happening.

Then there was something cold and threatening passing through me. It chilled me right down to the bone. I hadn't felt that kind of fear since I'd looked in to the psycho Syaoran's eyes . . . .

And then I realized what was going on.

I grabbed onto the doctor's sleeve again. He started to scold me, but I cut him off. "Hold on. Just wait. He's going to be fine."

Three seconds passed—I counted them, and they were the longest three seconds of my life—and the heart monitor booted up again. It started out slow, very slow—but suddenly Syaoran jerked forward with a gasp ravenous for air. His heart was now beating quickly, but not abnormally—as if he had just been running.

Warmth spread throughout my entire body and I'd never felt a rush of relief like the one that I had at that moment. I breathed out slowly and put my hand over my own heart, which was now beating fast as well.

Seeing that everything was fine now, I began to make my way back to my room. The doctor stopped me. "Miss . . . how did you know that he was going to be okay all of a sudden?"

I smiled half-heartedly at him. "After his heart stopped, I felt something cold and dark pass through me and I suddenly understood what was going on. His psychotic personality is gone now, Doctor. That was Syaoran rejecting it from his body."

He turned to look back at Syaoran. "Amazing . . . ," he breathed, and turned back to me to say something again. But I was already gone.

* * *

They discharged me before Syaoran the next day. Tomoyo's chauffeur drove her and I home.

"So Syaoran _died _last night?" she asked incredulously as we pulled up to my house.

"Well, I don't think he died," I replied, fidgeting with nothing. "I think the psychotic part of him died. He was fine the whole time."

When she didn't respond, I glanced over at her, wondering if she thought I was crazy. Instead she was smiling at me with so much warmth that it, well, warmed me up. I still couldn't get over how beautiful she was.

"You amaze me, Kinomoto Sakura," she whispered as the chauffeur opened my door.

I blinked but smiled back. "Thank you."

She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "I'm glad that I'm able to take the spot of your best friend now."

I felt myself blush a little and grinned widely at her. She chuckled and waved as the chauffeur closed the door again. Walking up the steps to the house, I thought about how lucky I was to have Tomoyo now.

Before I got to the door, I stopped in my tracks. I could hear vehement shouting from inside the house. I tried and failed to decipher what they were saying. Suddenly a man burst through the door, the air around him crackling with fury. He nearly bowled me right over and didn't even stop to look at me. I watched him get into his limo; even from looking at just the back of his head, I could feel his threatening aura.

"Who was that?" I asked Yelan when I made my way into the kitchen. I noticed that there were papers scattered on the table—divorce papers?

"That was Minghua Li," she said, one hand on her hip, the other holding a glass of wine. "Syaoran's father."

My jaw fell open but I quickly closed it. "Whoa," I managed. _That _was Syaoran's father? Damn. I didn't even get a good look at him. But he seemed pretty terrible anyway.

"We're getting a divorce," she announced. "I'm filing the papers today."

I was shocked. "Divorced? Yelan, I'm so sorry."

She waved it off. "Don't be. He was only mad because I took out a shitload of money from the bank account before I called him."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Is that illegal or something?"

She thought about, then shrugged. "Meh. At least I'm finally free of him. And I'm still going to be rich after." She grinned and winked at me, then pulled me into a hug. "I'm glad you're okay, Sakura. I was really worried."

"Thank you."

The phone rang, so she let go of me and went to answer it.

There was a thud outside the sliding screen doors heading to the back garden. Frowning, I walked cautiously over to the doors and saw two figures sitting on the bench in the backyard. When I went out to see who it was I let out a cry of surprise.

Toya and Meiling were wrapped in each other's arms on the swinging bench, and when they saw me they went red.

I put my hands on my hips and raised an eyebrow playfully. "Well well. What do we have here?"

Toya stood up quickly, coughing awkwardly. I smirked down at Meiling, who was relaxed and leaning against the back of the swing chair. "Uhm, hi."

"When did this happen?" I pointed at the two of them. "What do the other girls think of this?"

"Actually," Meiling started with a grin.

"They said they knew it from the start that we would end up together," Toya finished, shaking his head.

"From the moment we met," Meiling sang.

He gave her a stern look and she stuck her tongue out back at him. He put his arm around my shoulder and steered me through the garden.

"Remember when you were pestering me that time, when I was on the computer and you said you could tell I liked one?" he asked, his face going red all over again.

"Sure." I nodded.

"Well, I wasn't looking at the quadruplet's pages. Well, I was—but I was looking at all of the pictures with Meiling in them."

"Oh ho." I was grinning now. "I thought you greeted her too roughly."

He sighed, clearly embarrassed. "Yeah yeah. But whatever; how about you? Are you all right?"

"Yes, I just got a sprained ankle and stuff. I'm gonna be fine."

"And Syaoran?"

I looked at him with wide eyes. "Showing concern for Syaoran, are we?"

He glared at me, and then sighed. "Fine. Yes. He grew on me. Kinda."

I beamed at him. "Syaoran's going to be okay too. He'll probably be discharged today."

Toya stopped walking. "I always knew that Harumi girl was going to be trouble."

I frowned. "Yeah. It used to irritate me that you didn't like her . . . but I guess you were the best judge of character out of all of us."

"Don't worry, kiddo. Even if you had have known she was evil, you'd probably still befriend her."

"What does that mean?"

"I bet you let her off with an 'I forgive you, but don't ever talk to me again.'" He gave me an inquisitive, 'I know I'm right' look.

I scowled at him. "Yes."

He laughed. "Softy."

"Shut up!" I punched him in the ribs.

"Wow, that tickled a little!"

We were distracted by four synchronised voices calling my name. I turned, knowing who it was, but not expecting an extra four people.

All four sisters ran over to me with open arms. They crushed my windpipe for a little while, each mouth moving a mile a minute telling me how glad they were that I was okay. When they finally detached themselves, I asked who their friends were.

They were four boys who looked exactly alike, each with blonde hair and bright green eyes. One had bangs swept to the right, another to the left, one had it parted in the middle and the other had it brushed back.

"These are our new boyfriends," Feimei explained giddily, grabbing on to the one with the left-swept hair, who grinned with her.

"They're American quintuplets," Fanren continued, playing with the brushed back one's fingers.

"We met them at the ski resort a while ago," Shiefa said, her eyes wide and excited as always. I could tell that the one with the right-swept hair was her new beau from his expression; it was identical to Shiefa's.

"And fell in love," Fuutie finished quietly, leaning against the one with the middle part. He was the only one that didn't seem to match personalities exactly; he seemed strong and tough, with muscled arms showing through his long sleeved shirt. I guess they would be a pretty helpless couple if she had a crybaby boyfriend, too.

"Wow," was my reply. I was actually quite speechless. Leave it to them to find quintuplets that make perfect matches for them.

Shiefa grabbed my hand. "Come on, we made food for everyone!"

After being dragged to the huge dining table for a surprisingly delicious lunch, I started to think about Syaoran. I hoped that he was doing okay and the more I thought, the more my worry grew—

Suddenly, my ringtone cut through my thoughts.

"Tomoyo?"

"You're coming over for a sleepover with the girls tonight."

"Oh?"

"You need to take your mind off things."

"Do I."

"Yes. I figured it would be about now that you started worrying yourself about Syaoran."

"Oh." Dammit. She was right.

"Silly," she giggled. "Pack your stuff and get over here!"

* * *

When I arrived at Tomoyo's house and rang the doorbell, I realized I had never met her mother. For some reason my heart started beating super fast in my chest when I heard the footsteps leading up to the door.

The woman who stood before me almost surprised me. At first glance, she didn't look much like Tomoyo. She had red hair, cropped on an angle in a stylish way that would have looked bad on anyone else. Her eyes were an indigo, almost purple, colour. But when you really looked into her face, you could see that her beautiful features were the same as Tomoyo's. Her eyebrows arced in the same way her daughter's did, and her mouth smiled warmly in a very familiar way. Her skin had the same delicate, porcelain feel to it that Tomoyo's did.

She smiled as she held her hand out to me. I shook it gingerly. "Hello. You must be Sakura that I've heard so much about. My name is Sonomi Daidouji; I'm Tomoyo's mother."

"It's nice to meet you. Your daughter is very wonderful," I blurted, and even as I said it my ears went pink with embarrassment.

She chuckled, and pointed to an elaborate staircase. "Tomoyo and the rest of the girls are already upstairs."

"Thank you." I bowed before rushing up the stairs. I was met with a large hallway of rooms, but before I could really get confused, I heard giggling and a shriek and knew which one to go to.

I threw open the door with one eyebrow raised. Chiharu and Meiling were wrestling, each with a marker in hand, attempting to colour on the other's face. Naoko and Tomoyo were lying on the bed, making sure to keep safe from the battle. Rika grinned and stood from her spot on the floor to come and greet me with a hug.

"Hey, guys," I said, plopping down on the bed. "What's going on?"

Chiharu threw Meiling off of her and flung herself dutifully at the bed. "What's going on!" she practically screamed. "What's going on with _you!" _

I smiled and recounted what had happened with Syaoran in the hospital, then changed the subject to Meiling and Toya. After some teasing, it came back to Syaoran.

"Well I'm glad you're finally together," Chiharu sighed.

"Same," Naoko added.

"It was boring waiting for so long." Rika shook her head.

I stared at them all. "You were waiting for it! But I hated him for so long! How could you have predicted it at all?"

I met silence and several 'dur' faces.

"Damn." Chiharu broke the silence. "You're stupid."

The other girls laughed as I flushed in embarrassment. "Have you never seen a rom-com, Sakura?" Tomoyo asked. "Love-hate relationships are the _best._"

I threw some pillows at all of them, giggling. It was nice to just be normal and forget for a while.

* * *

The streetlight outside shone in through Tomoyo's window blinds, casting a horizontal light and shadow pattern across the floor. I gazed at it, lost in my thoughts about Syaoran.

"Sakura," Tomoyo's whispered voice floated over to me. I turned to look at her. "What's wrong?"

After a moment, I said, "I feel kind of . . . ashamed."

"Ashamed?" Her amethyst eyes widened in surprise. "What for?"

"I felt . . . I was seriously afraid of Syaoran. I shouldn't have been. It only made Syaoran feel worse about himself—he was already afraid enough—he probably thought I didn't accept him—"

"Sakura, that is so silly." She reached over and grabbed my hand. "I think he wanted you to be afraid of that side of him. He wanted you to love the real him. And you do. That's nothing to be ashamed of."

I was silent for a minute. "Thank you."

* * *

I felt refreshed and revived when I got back to the house the next morning. Tomoyo seriously knew how to make me feel so much better, about anything and everything. She was definitely the best best friend I'd had in forever.

The door opened before I grabbed the handle. Stunned, I looked at up at Syaoran.

It took my brain a minute to clue in on what was happening. He stood, waiting with an expectant smirk.

"Sy-Syaoran!" I finally shrieked, and jumped on him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and squeezed as hard as I could, burying my face in his shoulder.

"O-okay, Sakura, you're going to pop my head right off." He tugged on my arms until I loosened them. A little bit.

"I'm so glad you're okay." I raised my head to look him in the eye. "You are okay, right?"

His face melted in a smile that made my heart pound harder and louder. He nodded, and then slipped his hand down to mine and led me over to the living room. We sat on the couch, and he unexpectedly guided my face with his fingers, long and warm, so that his gaze locked with mine.

"When you look into my eyes, Sakura," he murmured, "is it just me that you see?"

His eyes were so vivid and alive, the brightest I'd ever seen them. His amber irises seemed to be luminous, seemed to radiate a loving warmth. Before, when I would look into his real eyes, I would feel like I was stepping on clouds. Looking into _these _eyes felt like the clouds were enveloping me.

I nodded before I could get the words out. "Yes," I breathed. "You're all that I see."

I kissed him, my hands on his face, feeling how smooth and soft his skin was, running my hand over his hair, and knowing that it was purely him, no other personalities were going to pop through. And he was purely mine.

Our attention was brought to a quick scampering behind us. Syaoran twisted around to see who it was. "Meiling!" He jumped up as she bolted for the stairs in a panic, a blur of raven hair and tanned skin. He dashed over and grabbed her arm before she got to the third step. She made a little squeak and looked back at him with terror clear on her face. "Meiling."

She flinched and didn't meet his eyes. I could tell she wasn't expecting it when Syaoran let her wrist out of his grasp and bowed low to her, because I wasn't either.

"Meiling," he said, clenching his hands. "I am so, _so _sorry for _everything _that I've done to you. I can't express how terrible I feel about it. But I also can't express how terrible the things I've done are. I know I can never take it back, or make it up to you, but I just wanted you to know that I am sorry."

Several moments passed where nothing but the wind in the trees outside made a sound. The suspense and tension crackling in the air was almost hurting me. I didn't dare to take a breath.

"Raise your head." Her voice was unusually small. Cautiously, Syaoran lifted himself, looking braced for whatever might come to him. Meiling's sharp bronze eyes searched Syaoran's nearly matching amber ones. Her expression softened with every second that passed. Then, without warning, she pulled him into an embrace. Her shoulders trembled ever so slightly, and I knew that she had seen the brightness and the innocence (as well as the mild cockiness) in his eyes.

After a moment, they pulled away from each other. She gave him a look that said 'thank you,' and then declared that she was going to find Toya.

Syaoran made his way back to me, looking even happier than he had before.

"I made something right," he said, and his innocence and absolutely adorable smile was blinding. "Her demons are gone now. She can live without fear of me and we can be a real family again."

I stood and put my arms around his waist, resting my head against his chest. Hearing his heart beat against my ear was like a lullaby, and it amused me to hear that it sped up when I touched him.

"My psychotic personality started out like my friend." My eyes widened; I hadn't been anticipating a speech about his personalities. Maybe I was going to get one? "No one was paying any attention to me, except for Fanren—sometimes. So I wanted a friend just like her that I could play with all the time. And he came. At first, we played little pranks together, like letting frogs loose in the house or hiding my sister's hair products. But they slowly began to escalate. Cutting my sister's hair at night, feeding their pets Lysol or something . . ." He rested his chin on my head, and I could feel the weight on his shoulders as he recounted the horrible events of the past. "And then I met Meiling; she was three years older than me and yet shorter. So I never let her forget it. I made fun of her constantly, and I cut _her _hair all the time too. I put insects in her bed, snakes in her clothing drawer, I pushed her down the stairs, and one time I actually cut her. Like, with a knife." He choked on the words. Tears were running down his face, dampening my hair. I held on tighter.

"It's okay," I whispered.

"When I was ten I finally put my foot down. My friend wasn't turning out to be so nice after all and I didn't want to play with him anymore. So I holed up in my room and made other friends to play with that he wouldn't like, so he wouldn't bother me anymore. And it worked, for a while."

He hauled himself away from me and headed out toward the back garden. I held his hand and walked with him.

"I was always subconsciously attracted to you. And when I realized that bugging you kept bringing you back to me, I kept at it." I felt myself blush a little. "I think that's what caused the psycho personality to come back again. And then it started getting out of hand and—well, the rest is history."

"That's all over now," I whispered. "You're free of him forever. And you have me now, too."

He groaned, and I hit him on the shoulder. He grinned at me, and threw his arm around me. "I realized that I was starting to seriously like you when you went on the date with that jerk guy. I really just wanted to hit him, even before you needed my help." He ran his fingers through his hair. "God, that was a long time ago."

"You know . . . that's when I started to really like you, as well. After that, all I could notice was just how damn attractive you are. And whenever we touched, it was like an electric current was rushing through my body."

I looked up at him, and he was already looking down at me, smiling. We chuckled lightly together. "I fell in love somewhere along the way," he said softly, looking positively angelic, standing there in the sun, the breeze tousling his hair, the most blissful look on his face.

"I knew I was in love when _he _kissed me and I was so devastatingly disappointed when it wasn't actually you. It hit me really hard that day," I admitted.

He stopped in his tracks, going quiet. Heat rushed to my cheeks. I had just made things incredibly awkward, hadn't I? Dammit Sakura! You are so stupid!

I jumped when he turned to me suddenly, grasping my hands in his. He looked me directly in the eye again, his features set and determined. "I promise you that the psycho personality, and all of the other ones, are gone forever. It's only me now. Only me—and I'm yours." I nodded, confused at where this was going. "I know we're kinda young—not even sixteen yet. But I'm so in love with you. And I know that I will never, ever feel this strongly about anyone else as long as I live."

I blinked, still not quite understanding why he was telling me all of this; he didn't need to—I already knew how he felt.

"But just because we're young doesn't mean we're stupid. After what we've been through together, we have a love _and _a bond that is _never _going to break—I _promise._ So our age doesn't matter."

Yeah yeah, so we're young? Get over it. I raised an eyebrow, _still _utterly in the dark about what was happening.

Until he got down on one knee. That was when I almost died.

"So you better not make this unmanly, mushy-ass speech go to waste when I say . . . ." He dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a ring with a small but absolutely gorgeous diamond.

"Sakura Kinomoto, I am asking you this because I wanted to do it myself, and I didn't want to just go with what our parents said. I love you, and I want you to marry me. So—will you marry me?"

I could barely hear anything; my heart was hammering so hard and the blood was roaring in my ears. "Y-yes," I stuttered.

He slipped the ring onto my finger, and stood up, keeping his hold on my hand. I met his gaze and we were silent for a minute, letting it really sink in.

Syaoran let go of my hand and fisted his own. Then he punched the air with a bellowed, "YES!"

I threw myself at him and he twirled me around, his arms holding me firmly and keeping me warm, and I knew that I never wanted this feeling to go away. This feeling of triumph, happiness, warmth, several other mushy touchy-feely words, and even a little apprehension. As we whirled around together, the background blurred, and I could see only Syaoran. It fit the scene so perfectly and I thought I might just explode and send confetti joy everywhere.

I was taken aback when cheering erupted from inside the house. Both of our families were smiling and clapping for us, and even Tomoyo was there, videotaping everything.

"That'll be embarrassing to see again," Syaoran muttered, and I snorted.

"Let's make a toast!" Shiefa squealed. "I'll get the wine!"

"Don't give Sakura any," Syaoran started with a smirk, "or she'll get all jealous in her drunken stupor."

I scowled at him. "At least I'm an innocent fifteen-year-old, not a professional partier!"

"Blah blah blah." Syaoran stuck out his tongue at me.

As we walked back into the house, I elbowed him hard in the ribs. I heard his grunt of pain and smiled with satisfaction.

"Beast," he growled, grabbing my hand.

I glanced at him, smiling. "Loser," I insulted again, seeing the sun glint off of my new promise ring. Syaoran raised it and kissed the diamond, and then I kissed him.

Still holding hands and grinning like crazy, we said in unison, "Stupid rich boy."

"Stupid woman."

* * *

-**crawls in- You have no idea how long it took me to write this last chapter. Wait…I guess you do. Exams are a real killer, broski. And then I had a bit of writer's block and then I went away for a few days and I was like DAMMIT! FINISH IT! So HERE IT IS! I REALLY hope you liked it! It is 11 pages long on Word! That best be long enough for you! XD **

**I can't believe this one is over now too! Now I can finally focus all of my efforts on Amber and Emerald and maybe get around to The New Teacher epilogue. ;p I'm really happy with how this story turned out. The original plotline was SO DIFFERENT. Originally, she was going to make all of the personalities fall in love with her, and then Harumi was gonna kidnap her and set the building on fire and Syaoran would have to save her and then he'd end up in the hospital and she'd think he was dead but she was in a coma…or something really super stupid like that. XD And the pyscho personality was definitely nowhere near as serious as he turned out to be. So yeah, that one review that made this new idea blossom in my head? THANK GOD YOU CAME ALONG or this story would have been just ridiculous. **

**17 chapters may seem short to some of you, but if I dragged it out any longer, bad things would happen to the number of reviews coming in. :P Since this is my most popular story I didn't want to wreck that. **

**I still hate the first two chapters. Maybe someday I'll rewrite them. But the rest of the story, I actually really like the writing quality. And I hope you all did too. **

**Thank you, everyone who has been reading and reviewing all this time. I really appreciate it and I apologize for all of the update waiting. Thanks again and good bye for now! **


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